Veins
by Bomb-With-an-Accent
Summary: In a program where twelve trolls are selected to attend school on Earth, Karkat meets John Egbert, the ever cheerful Nic Cage fanatic, and his friends. Will Karkat's insecurity about his mutation impede his possible matespritship? Will John deny his feelings for another male? Relationships aside, what of Her Imperious Condescension and her nefarious plots for Earth?
1. The Integration of Species

A/N: Good day/night, my lovely little readers! I decided to write a Homestuck fanfiction to appease my itch to pair the hell out of every freaking character in Homestuck's existence. This will obviously be a JohnKat story, but there will be several other pairings in here later ***wink, wink***.

I may get some things wrong, so please tell me if I do! I need to know! I can HANDLE the truth! I live off of reviews and criticism. Please R&R, I beseech you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck, but Andrew Hussie does. Take it up with him if you disagree.

Note: Jack Noir in this fanfiction is HUMAN! Just to clear that up…

I take any suggestions/comments/flames/etc. with pleasure! I love it when people tell me what I do right or wrong in my work, so do not hesitate to review with honesty. I do not bite. ;D

This chapter will be in Karkat Vantas's point of view. John Egderp will come later, I promise! Enough of this tomfoolery, on with this train wreck!

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_Veins_

Chapter One:

The Integration of Species

A new highschool, a fresh start for the new student Karkat Vantas, I suppose. I, being the aforementioned fresh meat of the school, was not going to enjoy this experience.

I pondered the human concept of 'highschool' as I entered the large building dominating the surrounding flat landscape. It was an enormous structure acting as Skaia Academy's main building, and it towered over the relatively plain lands around it. Once I passed through the large oak doors, I sighed in relief, for the cold, bitter wind of an October evening was purged from the interior by a wonderful gust of warmth. On Alternia, my home planet, it wouldn't be this Goddamn cold.

But I'm not on Alternia, am I? No, I am in Hellhole, Shitstain, otherwise known as Scratch, Maine. The miniscule town of Scratch was located near the sea. Its rocky 'beach' was little more than a stony cliff that plunged into the ocean at a terrifyingly steep incline. The rocks, sharp and deadly, deterred anyone from going near the cliff's edge. Huge waves pounded against the cliff-face, spraying the precipice with salt water. I can smell the salt water all the way from the school, which is fucking ten miles away.

"This year is going to suck bone bulge," I declared in a huff as I strode through the main hallway toward the main office. Once I found the damn thing, I slipped through the doorway quietly and slunk up to the main desk to receive my schedule. I did _not_ want to draw attention to myself. Not here, in a new place, a new planet. I had had enough shit from others for my…mutation, and I would be damned by God Himself and fucked sideways with a fucking spoon if I would take anymore of that from any _humans_. Now that I was on this new "Human Planet", Earth, no one would give a fuck, flying, or not, about what sludge runs through my damnable veins. Everyone's here is the same; candy. Fucking. Apple. RED. So, because of this, there is no hemospectrum like back on Alternia.

And why was I on this hunk of floating human horse shit instead of my planet? Eleven other trolls and I were 'selected' to take part of a program created by the collaboration of trolls and humans that would integrate our two species by placing us in a human school. This is utter hoof beast shit, and everyone else knows it, too. Her Imperious Condescension is out of her fucking thinkpan. I'm relieved that at least other trolls, who happened to be friends of mine, were along for the ride, but I am really fucking crabby that my lusus is not here. He always made me feel safe, but now that I am stuck in a foreign realm, I feel so alone. I'm just wondering where the fuck my moirail is. I need some calming down, and Gamzee Makara is just the fucking juggalo to do that.

I snatched my schedule from the secretary human and sauntered out of the room, setting off in search of my new hive – uh, well, "dorm", as it is called. Humans are so fucking strange. I looked at the schedule in the top left-hand corner and deduced that my hive was called the Prospit Dorm, and was at the other side of the Goddamned campus.

I growled half-heartedly and headed out of the building to search for my dorm. Maybe the others would be there already? I sure as hell hoped so. I'd go batshit insane without some remnant of my old home, even if I lived in fear of being culled every second of every day. I looked at my schedule to distract me from these homesick thoughts. The paper said something about a 'Sophomore year'. It must be some human way to judge what 'year' of school a human is in. Again, I think humans are damn weird. The schedule reads as follows:

Name: Vantas, Karkat

Locker: 223

Dorm: Prospit, Room 612

Student ID: 413KV

Year: 10th Grade, Sophomore

P. 1: Speech II – Roxy Lalonde, Room 5B

P. 2: English Advanced Honors II – Jake English, Room 33B

Recess, Cafeteria

P. 3: Algebra Honors II – Dirk Strider, Room 216A

P. 4: World Geography II – Doc Scratch, Room 78C

P. 5: German II – Jane Crocker, Room 17A

Lunch, Cafeteria

P. 6: Biology Advanced Honors II – Jack Noir, Room 20B

P. 7: Health/Physical Education – Karla Colvin, Gymnasium

What the hell is this gibbershit? My thinkpan is throbbing from just looking at this thing. I don't have any fucking idea as to where these rooms are located, and classes officially begin in two days! I look up from my schedule as I am walking, and I perceive a looming structure just ahead. I squint my eyes to see the sign. It says PROSPIT in large, bold lettering on the sign beside the entrance. It looks nice; the brick is a dark blackish color, and the roof has slightly faded grey shingles adorning it. The door is a freshly painted black. I like the color palate around here. I guess humans don't fuck up _everything._

I enter the dorm building and begin looking for my designated room. I peruse the numbers beside each door, walking slowly and deliberately so as not to skip my room number. Will I have a respiteblock to myself? Who will be my hivemate? Is he a nooksucker fuckass douche? I wonder all these things as I glance around the hallway. I finally find my room number, and I grab my key. I fumble with the lock and open the door. Stupid lousy Goddamn locks.

I quickly step inside and throw my shit, which consists of a backpack full of notebooks, textbooks, and other crap, a messenger bag, and a huge duffel bag with my clothes, toiletries, and other items, down on the floor beside the door. The lights are out, and it's almost pitch-black, due to the time being late in the evening. I stumble around the room, kicking off my shoes and shrug off my thick gray jacket. I blindly place my hand on a piece of furniture I assume is a couch and I look around (a lot of fucking good that does me in the dark).

"Hello? Anyone, troll or human, in here?" I ask, casting my gaze about the room for a sign of life. My eyes fall on a long prostrate form on the ground. I hear a muffled sound of surprise and a gasp as I see the figure sit up quickly. The room is very dim, so I can't tell what species it is, but I have a feeling…a niggling feeling that it was a...

Oh God.

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:] Cliff hanger! Somewhat...

Well, I appreciate feedback, so review, review, review!


	2. Afflictions to the Ego

A/N: I know no one cares enough to read author's notes, but you know what? I will continue making them!

Anywaaaaaaaay, Chapter Two is up! Yay me! This story is fun to write, so I think I will update faster on this than _Prove Me Wrong_. I am also thinking about writing a GamKar fanfiction, heehee.

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck or its glorious characters. This plot is mine though. ;]

Thank you kaoruhikaruluver! I enjoyed the review, and your feedback is much appreciated! I will try stay true to my style and the pace of the story, as you wish. You are an amazing example of a good reader! :D I would also like to thank everyone who has followed, reviewed, and even read this humble work.

This is third person omniscient, so this is not really focused on any one character. Now, onward to Chapter Two!

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_Veins_

Chapter Two:

Afflictions to the Ego

The human boy sat up, his back ramrod straight from fear, and he audibly gasped. _Who's the intruder, who's there?_ He wondered. _Oh shit, it's not Dave sneaking in here again, is it?_

The figure above him was silhouetted against a very faint glow coming from the window. He was relatively short, and 'he' (he guessed it was a he since it was the boy's dorm) had two nubs protruding from his head. _Did this guy cosplay or something? _ He thought.

The human was taking note of these things as the figure moved away from him toward the wall where the light switch was. He heard a soft click, and then the main lights flooded the room, revealing the two beings to each other's curious gazes.

The human's large, pure cobalt eyes widened at the sight of the troll before him. Never in his life had he seen such a creature. The aforementioned troll mirrored the human's expression of surprise. He had seen humans before, or course, but the thought of living with one was…utterly abysmal.

"W-who are – what are you?" asked the frightened human. His eyes shone in fear, a tinge of curiosity, and even a bit of wonderment.

"I'm a troll fuckass. What do I look like? A musclebeast?" retorted the indignant troll. Come on, this human must have heard about trolls. Shooshing and papping would be really fucking nice right now.

The human had heard of trolls, but he had never seen one! This is one of the few times trolls have visited Earth, and he, in a one-in-a-million chance, gets to see him.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I was just a bit startled when you just popped out of nowhere! What's a musclebeast?" said the blue-eyed boy. He visibly seemed to calm down and relax. He sighed and got up from the floor, towering a healthy five inches over the troll. The shorter male was _not_ happy about this in the least. Karkat ignored the question posed and just glared, scrunching up his nose in distaste.

The boy held out his hand to the troll. "My name's John Egbert. And you are?" said John as the troll hesitantly took the outstretched appendage. He was not even fazed that the troll could speak English. He would not be here if he was not able to, no?

"It's Karkat," there was a pause "Karkat Vantas," replied the troll with a hint of disgust. This John Human was annoying as hell already…

"Beep, beep, meow!" crowed John playfully. Karkat only growled in response. Damn nicknames and shit.

Karkat took the opportunity to study this "John" character as they pulled their hands apart. The boy donned sky-blue pajama pants and a lighter, softer blue T-shirt with a white insignia on the chest. A dark blue hood that reached the ground, matching the pants, was attached to the back of the shirt. Karkat looked to the John's face for further scrutiny. John had bright white buckteeth that were briefly visible when he grinned. Thick, black-rimmed glasses were perched precariously on his nose. His ebony hair contrasted his alabaster skin, and was slightly spiked in the back. Messy locks fell over his mesmerizing eyes. What in the hell was up with this kid? _Does he cosplay or Flarp like Tavros or some shit? _Thought Karkat.

John in turn examined the troll, although it was not as discrete as Karkat had been. Karkat had nubby horns that faded from a dark orange at the base to a bright yellow at the rounded tips. There was a slight curve to them, but they were not tall at all. Karkat's perpetually scowling visage was intriguing to John; the troll's eyes were a blood red and ringed by yellow, which would have been where the whites of john's eyes were. Dark, thick bags were under his strange eyes, emphasizing the odd combination of red on vivid yellow. John noted with interest that the troll's skin was slate gray. Karkat's skin was smooth, with virtually no blemishes, unlike John's own, which sported a sprinkling of freckles. Karkat had thick, sleek raven locks that stuck up every which way, giving the impression that he had just rolled out of bed (or a recuperacoon). The mop of hair almost covered his horns. The troll also had pointed teeth that peeked out over his bottom lip a bit. His attire consisted of a long-sleeved black shirt with what John recognized as the sign for Cancer from the zodiac. The emblem was gray, and matched with Karkat's gray pants. When Karkat had told him his name, his voice was tinged with a foreign tone that had a guttural tone to it, which was oddly intoxicating. Other than skin color, eye color, the horns, and the pointed teeth, the troll was basically humanoid.

They stood, eyes roving over each other, sizing the other up in careful study. John smiled broadly as Karkat seemed to relax a bit, although the scowl was still present, and he emanated a hostile attitude. Karkat's obviously sour disposition and dark aura filled the air with slight tension, and sparked with anxious energy that was infectious to John. They awkwardly began glancing around the room, avoiding the other's eyes.

Karkat grabbed his things by the door and headed to the hallway that leads to the back of the dorm room. Two doors lined the walls.

"Hey, John?" queried Karkat. John's name felt strange on his tongue. "Where is my respiteblock?"

John walked toward Karkat, shouldering a backpack as he went. "If by _my_ _respiteblock_, you mean _my_ _room_, then don't you mean _our_ _room_? It's the first door on the left," said John mischievously.

"Wait, what actual the flying fuck? We're sharing a fucking room? You have got to be shitting me," said Karkat, exasperated. This would be one awkward setup…

"Yep, you and me Kar!" said John in a singsong voice filled with mirth. He looked way too happy for his own damn good.

"Great, I'm stuck with a nooksucking dipshit weirdo for a year," complained Karkat moodily. He did not want someone in the same _hive_ as him, let alone _respiteblock_! This was going down hill fast.

John frowned slightly. "Awww, Karkaaaaaaaat! Don't be so crabby!" he said, pouting cutely. _Wait, hold the fuck up, cutely? What the hell, thinkpan?_

"Whatever, Egderp, I'm going to unpack my shit, so do whatever the hell you were doing when I got here," Karkat told the boy as he shoved past him and entered the bedroom. Upon inspection, Karkat noted it contained two beds, not recuperacoons, a door leading to an ablution trap and load gaper, two small desks, a large bookshelf already half-filled with John's books and movies, and a door leading to a minuscule closet that smelled like a body had rotted in there. Nice….

Karkat turned to where he could see Egderp in his sharp peripheral vision as he tossed his bags onto the vacant bed that was adjacent to the far wall. John stood in the doorway, disobeying Karkat's angry command to 'do whatever the hell' he had been doing.

"So, what were you doing on the floor anyway?" asked a curious Cancer.

"Thinking," was the half-assed response. Karkat's lip curled in a scowl.

"About what, Egderp?" he said in annoyance.

"About pissed off trolls invading my room," John smirked, "and planet. Why are you here anyway? Is this the first sign of 'total invasion'?"

Karkat wheeled around and narrowed his eyes into red and yellow slits of pure rage and even a bit of hurt.

"I did NOT ask to be here, you NOOKSUCKING SHITSTAIN! I was forced to stay on your fucking planet to fucking get along with your shitty, inferior race! Be grateful you got to even meet a troll, you bucktoothed FUCKASS! How would YOU feel about being shipped of to some weird ass planet you know fuckall about? You don't know JACK FUCKING SHIT about me! Do you know what it feels like to be unwanted? No? Then shut the FUCK up!" screamed Karkat. He felt sorrow welling in his chest, his anger died down from its previous tempest. His clawed hand curled into a fist, drawing candy-red blood, and he began to tremble. This is going down hill faster than a fucking freight train now.

Tears gathered in corners the Cancer's eyes, but were forced back by his sheer stubborn pride. He would not cry in front of this dumbfuck human. He had been set off so easily by a simple joke, it seemed. He was more homesick than he originally thought. That emptiness, that homesickness, clouded his mind and dulled his thoughts. Was his lusus still even alive? Where were his friends? Where was his home?

The troll turned away and fussed with his belongings sitting on his new bed. John was stunned into silence by this outburst.

"Leave me be, Egderp, I have to finish unpacking," Karkat murmured as he swiped a hand across his face. Red-tinted tears had finally sprung from his eyes, and slowly rolled down his angular, gray face. Small spots of crimson fell to the hardwood floor. The memories of his lusus and his friends had finally overwhelmed his pride. Displaying such emotions to a human was a huge blow to his ego. Damn emotions getting in the way of his anger.

Karkat heard footsteps from behind him, and he felt long arms wind around his torso, hugging him close to a certain derp's chest. A face nuzzled into his thick hair. He felt the boy sigh sadly. Karkat merely stood there, mouth slightly agape, amazed someone would _comfort_ him like this. They hardly knew each other, but John seemed to already care about him, an outcast, a _mutant_. The Cancer let his arms drop to his sides for a moment to savor the heartfelt gesture.

"I-I'm sorry, Karkat, I didn't mean it like that. Don't cry! You'll like Earth a lot! There's…there's good food, amazing movies, cool books, nice people, and tons of other things that'll make you feel better. We'll be good friends, okay? Please don't cry," said John softly yet urgently. He whispered the last bit, holding Karkat and swaying back and forth in a soothing rhythm, effectively calming Karkat enough to where he was not a raging psychopath that gushed blood-red tears. It was weird embracing an alien, but hell, Karkat needed this! He _did not _know what being taken by force to another planet felt like, but it must feel like a living-hell. Karkat needed someone, and right now, whether he liked it or not, he had John.

Said troll lightly pulled at John's arms, signaling him to let the fuck go. John complied, albeit hesitantly. The smaller boy immediately withdrew his body from that of John's tall, lithe form, his gray complexion tainted with a traitorous blush of red. His face was in a scowl, as per usual. A lone red tear was sliding slowly down his face.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just stop pitying me like a mewling grub, Egderp. I'm not a fucking grub," Karkat said in an embarrassed tone, furiously wiping the last lingering traces of his red tears. He did not even look pissed at John anymore, just at himself. He was too tired to give a damn about John's odd method of comfort at the moment. Then Karkat smirked at an idea that flitted through his mind. "So, you're already feeling up the new troll in town, huh? And when he is _vulnerable_ too? Sneaky, sneaky, Egbert, sneaky, _sneaky_," the Cancer said in a mocking voice.

John's visage went from concerned and pale, to embarrassed and crimson in seconds at the last comment.

"I-I'm not a homosexual!" cried the flustered derp. Karkat sniggered under his breath as he finished setting his books and movies on the shelf and hanging and folding his clothes.

"What is a – never mind, I am going to bed, so goodnight, _John,_" Karkat said, emphasizing John's name sardonically.

" Goodnight, Kar," said John, grinning to himself as he turned to his own bed, "and by the way, homosexual means someone likes the same sex instead of the opposite gender."

"Humans have a word for that? Your species is royally fucked up," retorted Karkat as he changed into his nightclothes and slid into his bed. Of course the troll took care to turn around to avoid John's eyes.

"I guess it is," was all Karkat heard before his eyes closed and his thinkpan fogged, allowing a restless, terror-filled sleep to overcome his exhausted mind.

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So, how was that? It was short, and a little faster in its pace, but I am satisfied. Tell me what you think! Any feedback is much appreciated! ;)

I apologize for OOC Karkat. :(


	3. Night Terrors and Thin Towels Abound

A/N: Okie dokie! Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing, following, etc. I am happy that y'all like it so far, even if the chapters are unbearably short!

Disclaimer: If you think I own Homestuck or its fabulous characters, your thinkpan is shit.

I love it when people tell me what I do right or wrong in my writing, so please, I beseech you! Review, my lovelies! I will love you ceaselessly hereafter!

Bullfuckery aside, I really do like hearing from you. Anyway, this chapter will again be third person omniscient because writing from John or Karkat's point of view at two o'clock in the fucking morning is not good for my thinkpan. I write third person much better.

Welp, heeeeeeeere's Chapter Three!

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_Veins_

Chapter Three:

Night Terrors and Thin Towels Abound

_A backdrop of red pervaded Karkat's mind, slowly twining its way into the deepest crevices and the darkest fissures of the troll's brain. The color red haunted him, even in his dreams it seemed. Everywhere he turned, that damned color was fucking there, taunting him._

_He was slowly unraveling, thinking of his mutation and what suffering and fear it had brought him on Alternia. He was not even considered part of the hemospectrum. He was a disgusting thing to be hated and despised by every troll. _

_The vermillion haze gave way to pitch-black dotted with small glittering specks. A blue and green planet was revealed as well, shocking the Cancer, who seemed to be suspended in the void. He stared in wonderment at the enchanting sight before him._

'_Earth,' thought the nub-horned troll dully, 'It's beautiful…'_

_A malicious voice resonated through the black void, sundering Karkat's moment of serenity. It sounded so familiar, yet so foreign to him. Karkat trembled at the powerful voice. _

'_You are a damned mutant, you grub! You'll be accepted on this human planet, eh? Think again, you shit muncher. Your mewling little being is not even worth keeping alive,' said the bodiless voice. Red tinted the corners of the view Karkat had of Earth._

'_I-I am worth it! I am not worthless, jackass! My blood is sludge, but…but I…' Karkat trailed off as several figures began materializing, particle-by-particle before his red eyes. _

_They were his friends._

_All eleven of them lined up, staring at him with deadened eyes._

_And then there was the John Human among them, a twelfth._

_It was his voice…_

'_Are you sure Karkat? Your '_friends' _tell me that you're no good, that you aren't even considered a part of their hemospectrum. Are you even considered a troll? You shouldn't even exist. You should have been culled many sweeps ago, you pathetic creature! You worthless little grub! You sniveling excuse of an existence!' Shouted the apparition of John. His blue eyes were darkened with malice and scorn. This did not sound like the John he had just met….It could not be him…_

~O~

Karkat flailed maniacally and then fell out of his bed. He landed face-first, effectively waking the crabby troll from the demented nightmare.

"FUCK!" came a muffled curse as Karkat shakily lifted himself off of the floor. The small troll got to his feet and looked blankly at the sleeping form that was John as he clutched his face in agony. That had fucking hurt like a bitch. He was still shaken up after that nightmare, and now he had face full of pain, a mouth full of curses, and human to bitch at for no reason specified.

"God-fucking-dammit, I can't fucking sleep in these pieces of shit you humans call beds! Where's the sopor slime? I need a fucking recuperacoon, not this slab of fucking rock you think is supposed to be comfortable, you human FUCKWITS! I swear to Jegus, I will do a fucking acrobatic pirouette of off the motherfucking handle! My entire fucking life is one giant joke the universe pulled out of its ass!" ranted the troll, attempting to hide his fear from the night terror with rage.

John promptly awoke from his fitful sleep and slowly opened one eye to look at Karkat, and then added the second when he saw his expression.

"Heh, that comment about the handle reminds me of Dave," drawled John dreamily as he slowly stretched and sat up in his bed. His relaxed, serene expression melted into one of concern. His brows furrowed and he bit his bottom lip. Karkat got a full view of John's buckteeth when he did this.

"Karat? Are you okay? I heard you muttering in your sleep last night, and I heard a really loud thump and some obscene screeching earlier," said John worriedly.

"It was nothing, fuckwit, I just fell out of the damnable contraption you call a bed," said Karkat in his usual husky voice.

"If you say so…" replied the derpy boy skeptically.

Karkat glanced down at himself and took in his appearance; he was bedraggled and he donned the same clothes as he did the night before. He was so tired, he did not even change into his pajamas, or whatever those sick human bastards called them. A full-length mirror was propped against the wall in front of the foot of John and Karkat's beds. The troll glanced at it, confirming his suspicions that he looked like a hoofbeast shit on him and then trampled him mercilessly. Damn it, Equius and his damned hoofbeast nonsense were getting to his thinkpan.

His hair was sticking in every direction in wild tangles and his clothes were rumpled and misshapen on his thin frame. The Cancer shuffled his way to the closet he and John shared, and he pulled a shirt exactly like the one he was currently donning and pair of gray skinny jeans resembling his pants from the day before. He stepped back into the room, went over to the small chest of drawers in the corner, and selected a pair of boxers. With this done, he collected his toiletries from his bag and headed to the bathroom without another word to the blue-eyed boy staring after him.

The troll shoved all of his shit on the counter and began his morning rituals of brushing his pointed incisors, making use of the load gaper, and taking a shower in the ablution trap. Jegus, it was freezing. Karkat took his shower at the speed of motherfucking light and got the hell out. The small troll quickly grabbed a towel hanging limply on the towel rack, and he dried off. Once done, he wrapped the towel loosely around his waist and walked up to the counter to examine his appearance now. He winced when he saw himself.

A skinny, scowling troll stared back at him, his teeth slightly bared, a growl rising in his throat. His eyes were candy fucking red as usual, but he had never noticed how angular and strong his jaw had become. His chest was bare and smooth; there were no nipples, unlike humans, and he also lacked a bellybutton. Trolls were clearly not born like humans were, so why the hell would they have the same anatomy? He did have well-toned abs, though. His arms were lithe and thin, yet well muscled. Peering at his abdomen, the troll realized just how underweight he was, for his ribs were greatly defined and his stomach was flat as a board. All in all, Karkat though he looked like an undesirable tool and he hated himself for it.

As he was turning around to change, John walked into the bathroom, but stopped abruptly at the sight before him; Karkat staring wide-eyed at him with only a thin red towel slung dangerously low on his supple hips. John snapped his wandering eyes away from the lower regions of the troll's sinuous body with a light blush tinting his freckled cheeks. He blamed his traitorous eyes' behavior on scientific curiosity. He instead took in Karkat's bare, featureless torso. Karkat's jaw went slack for a brief moment before he regained his composure.

"What the hell, Egbert? Ever heard of knocking? Of all the nooksniffers here, I got you as my detestable blockmate who seems intent on embarrassing the living shit out of me," said the startled Cancer. John backtracked through the doorway and wheeled around, making a beeline for the opposite side of the bedroom. He did not even question the lack of nipples and a bellybutton, he just went with it. The troll slammed the door shut and swiftly got dressed. He ran his long, clawed fingers through his still drying messy raven locks before opening the door and speed-walking to his bed and plopping down.

John was turned away, sorting his vast collection of movies and whatnot. The Cancer only watched him, wondering if John had seen his body…if so, was he disgusted? John was not showing any signs of repulsion. Karkat checked himself; why would he care what a human thought anyway? He wrinkled his nose at the thought.

The derp finally turned back to the smaller boy and smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't see anything. I'm sorry about that, though," said John diplomatically. It had, in truth, been weird, but John merely brushed off the debacle.

Karkat glanced away, red visible on his face. "Whatever, fuckass, just knock next time, will you?"

"Okay, buddy, whatever you say," replied the amused human. John spun on his heel, whistling a tune, and he finished sorting his collection.

With that, the odd duo got ready to head out across campus in search of their friends, John's group, and then Karkat's respectively.

John grabbed his backpack with who-knows-what in there, shouldering it, and beckoning Karkat to follow suit. The troll obliged grudgingly, still pissed about earlier, and grabbed his messenger bag. He slung it over his shoulder carelessly, and followed John out the door, but not before flipping him off and growling inaudibly.

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yay! Another short, useless chapter! :] Let me know what y'all think!


	4. Of Cool Kids and Fuckass Clowns

A/N: This chapter will be a smidgeon longer! Yay me, I got my lazy ass in gear!

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill; I own nothing but this shitty plot.

Soooooooo, the other trolls and kiddos will be introduced in the following chapters. I think you guys will figure out who it is by the chapter titles.

Please tell me what you think of the story so far! I enjoy writing this and I appreciate the new reviews from maihyuga, kaoruhikaruluver, Shadowgirl 111, and SpidersVeil! I thank you all for the insightful critiques you have so graciously imparted to me.

Don't y'all just love the smell of fresh reviews at Four o'clock in the morning? I sure as hell do! It makes me burst into song. :B

I also got a request for longer chapters, which I promise to provide in the future. I have gone back and changed some things in previous chapters, but only minor details like some errors that were so kindly pointed out by my lovely reviewers and some added-on sentences to further a description or clear up any festering questions. If you want to, re-read those chapters, but I do not think y'all have to up and do that. I merely 'SUGGEST' it.

This'll be in Karkat's POV, woohoo!

Onward we march! Hyah, hyah!

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_Veins_

Chapter Four:

Of Cool Kids and Fuckass Clowns

"Where the hell are we going?" I asked as I froze my fucking ass off once again. John was dragging me along on his little quest to find his three friends. I was tempted to abscond, but John was HOLDING MY FUCKING WRIST in a vice-like grip. There was no escape from this journey of fuckdom, so I grudgingly allowed myself to be hauled across the whole damn campus. The school grounds were flat as hell and only had a hand full of sorry excuses for trees. The only things to look at were the school buildings, which wasn't any better than a flat, barren scene.

"We're going to see Dave Strider! He's my best friend and one of the coolest kids you'll ever meet," said John cheerfully. John had some sort of communication device in his hand, which he appeared to be transfixed by. I discretely glanced at the device's screen and saw he had the program Pesterchum pulled up. I have heard about that human program. It's like Trollian, except it's the troll version of the social program, which is in Alternian. Of course the other eleven trolls and I were taught the basics of reading 'English', but we could only speak it fluently and read and write very little due to the limited vocabulary and knowledge of spelling, grammar, et cetera, et cetera.

I am guessing he's pestering that fucktard he mentioned earlier, Dave, was it? I already hated him, just by his fucking name. He sounded like a punk ass wanna-be douche cool guy. I am never wrong about these things.

"Okay…room 420, in the Rogue Dorm," mumbled John as he switched directions suddenly. I was jerked backwards as I attempted to take a step forward. John's grip was solid as fucking ever. Apparently he knew where this multi-blocked hive was, so I begrudgingly trudged along after the bucktoothed dumbass.

We passed the main school facility and made our way to the opposite side of the campus, or the East Campus, where the Derse, Void, Moon, Sprite, and Rogue Dorms were located. The Prospit Dorm was on the West Campus, which also had the Time, Knight, Space, Seer, and Bard Dorms. The North Campus held the Page, Doom, Heir, Life, and Light Dorms while the South Campus held the Mind, Kernel, Sylph, Night, and Miles Dorms. There were several dorms, which I miraculously remember the names of, that only had about ten dorm rooms each, but there were few students to populate them, for the school only had three hundred or so student enrolled, and most of them lived off-campus with parents. This was not so for Egbert and his friends or me and my friends. We were fucking stuck on this God-forsaken campus to wallow piteously like wigglers in our boredom.

We finally arrived at the Rogue Dorm, which had curiously violet-tinted shingles and black masonry. John led me through the entrance and finally let the fuck go of my fucking wrist, but not before his hand accidentally brushed my fingers and lingered for a moment too long. I quickly looked away and growled half-assedly while John scratched the back of his head sheepishly. We made our way to the end of the main hallway where room 420 was and we stopped. John knocked lightly on the door as I tensed slightly, preparing to abscond the fuck out of there should the need arise.

There was a muffled 'Who the hell is it, and what do you want?' and footsteps. The door swung open, causing Egderp to jump slightly. What a fucking wiggler.

In the doorway stood an average-sized teen that looked about my age – that is, seven solar sweeps. Platinum blonde hair shone in the dim lighting emanating from the dorm room's interior, and black sunglasses hid his eyes, the color of them an enigma. He was pale, even for a human. His red and white shirt and black skinny jeans accentuated his thin figure. He leaned one shoulder on the door frame and quickly assessed us. His poker face was that of a fucking pro. Yes, this was a true douche muffin.

This 'Dave' character raised his eyebrow and nodded in my direction. "Yo, John, who is the midget troll?"

I snarled threateningly, but John laid his hand on my shoulder to calm me. I shrugged him off and glared at Strider, fully intending to burn holes in his human viscera with my hate-filled glare of fucking wrath.

The asshat wasn't even phased by me, a _troll_, for fucks sakes. Huh, weird. This guy was still a major douche wad, though, even if he was cool with my species. I was totally cool with him hating me, but I guess I can deal with indifference.

"Oh, this is Karkat Vantas, my roommate! Karkat, Dave. Dave, Karkat," replied John as he gestured back and forth between us.

"Well, come on in, bros, meet my rad roommate," said Dave nonchalantly.

"Hey motherfucking best friend," said a deep gravelly voice from within the room. A tall, gangly troll appeared behind Dave, who had been about to show John and me inside.

"Gamzee! Thank fucking Jegus, it's you! At least there is another troll around this inane cesspool of dumbfucks, even if it is a fuckass clown," I exclaimed in relief. Suddenly, warmth enveloped my small frame. My moirail was hugging me in a death grip and mumbling into my hair happily, "I motherfucking missed you like shit, bitchtits motherfucker."

"Get the fuck off," I muttered half-heartedly. He may be a fucked up grubfucking fool, but he was my moirail, it had been a whole sweep, and I had missed him too. I just let him hug me until he finally released me, giving me one of his trademark lopsided, spaced-out grins that always reached his eyes. As he pulled away, his lips lightly brushed my ear, but only slightly. Had that been on purpose, was it even a thing? I sure as hell don't know. I felt a blush stain my cheeks crimson and quickly tried to hide it by turning away. Damn this color…

"Well, now that this fuckfest of emotional shittery is over, let's get acquainted. I am guessing you know Gamzee, Karkat. John, this is Gamzee Makara, my new roommate, or as he says, hivemate, whatever the hell floats his juggalo boat," Dave said, ruining the sappy-as-hell moment. It was bound to happen eventually.

"Hey, Gamzee, nice to meet you," greeted John warmly.

"Hey, motherfucker, same to you," replied Gamzee dreamily, his half-lidded purple and yellow eyes glazed over in a haze of sopor slime.

John looked to me with a confused expression, seeming to be worried about the new nickname. I rolled my eyes. "He calls everyone that, Egderp, don't take it personally," I snapped. Such. A. Fucking. Wiggler.

"Woah, Karbro, chill. Cool your motherfucking-scrambled thinkpan, motherfucking best friend. Don't get all up and cranky with our bitchtits human friends here. They're chill, brother, they're chill as shit," said Gamzee sagely.

"Yeah, yeah, clown ass, I'll 'cool my motherfucking-scrambled thinkpan'. As if that's a thing, shitstain," I retorted. I swear, that is the dumbest shit I have ever heard, other than Nepeta's or Terezi's little nicknames for me. I shudder at the mere thought of those degrading titles they bestowed upon my ever-scowling being.

Gamzee only grinned and papped me on my back soothingly. I heard a faint, "It's cool, my motherfucking best friend, it's all chill."

I spared a glance at the towering troll, who was even taller than John. His face was long and angular, and was covered in gray face paint that was reminiscent of a clown. His half-lidded eyes were of purple hue, representing his blood color. He was a highblood. A highblood so far above me it was fucking ridiculous to even compare our statuses, but he didn't care about the hemospectrum – well, only if he was under the influence of the slime. His elongated fangs were pointed and looked deadly, but seeing his spaced-out expression put any fears the fuck down like a human petbeast or whatever the hell they call them. His black shirt was emblazoned with the sign of the human equivalent of a Capricorn. Gamzee's pants were black baggy jeans that were spotted with gray dots randomly. He was a fucking weird-ass clown, but that's Gamzee for you. His thick, mused hair fell a bit past his bony shoulders, and was slightly curly. The clown-fuck's long horns dramatically curved skyward and faded from a burnt orange to a rich yellow, sort of like the color of my own nubby-ass horns. They won't fucking grow, dammit!

Gamzee is usually intoxicated as fuck by the sopor slime he consumes, which we trolls have in our recuperacoons to sleep It calms his murderous urges to 'paint his wicked pictures' with our motherfucking mirthful blood or some shit. The clown-ass said something about a dark carnival one time.

He must have a supply here, and I hope, for this planet's sake, it is a fuck ton of slime. He was never told _not_ to eat the poisonous shit by his damn negligent lusus, so he's been fucked up since he was one sweep old.

"Okay, so now what?" asked John once I was sufficiently shooshed and papped by the Capricorn.

"Rose and Jade want to see you and your roommate or some shit. The mentioned something about a Kan…Kana I think? And there was a Fef-something-or-other mentioned too. Jade seemed hyper about something, and Rose…was her proper-ass self as always. How about you go visit them while my roommate and I throw down some sick fires?" propositioned Dave in his cool-guy drawl. I could tell that he clearly knew the names and what species, even if his mysterious eyes were hidden from my view, but John….Oh that dumbass….

"Yeah, sounds good! I'll catch you later, Dave!" said John as he grabbed my wrist yet a-fucking-gain. I snorted at his enthusiasm and raked my free hand through my hair, tousling my already messy locks.

I shouted goodbye to my moirail and the douche bag and was tugged out of the dorm.

I knew whom he had meant. They were the few remnants from Alternia that I could bear to be in the same hive with. I mulled over what to say to them as John dragged me to the 'Jade' human's multi-block hive, the Space Dorm, to meet her. Maybe talking to 'Kana' and 'Fef-something-or-other' will ease my fried nerves and thinkpan. They are the sensible ones of our group, after all. They do not disdain my lowest of the low red blood, even if they are much higher bloods. Gamzee doesn't give a shit about my mutation. I know he would never hurt me, but the others….it is uncertain. They may have changed their opinions of accepting me. They don't even know about my blood yet, but they will when they see my eyes, which once masked my blood color. I couldn't hide behind a veil of gray any longer. It has been an entire sweep since I last saw any of them, excluding Gamzee, whom I just saw, so I expect that one of the highbloods may cull me. Life sucks bulge.

We walked all the fucking way back to the West Campus to the dorm, which was a multitude of colors; the bricks went from a tint of green to a hint of blue, and the roofing was a sleek black tin roof.

"Looks like room number is 380," said John, oblivious as to who he was about to meet.

"Well, come on then, jackass, let's get going."

We entered the dorm and peered around. No one ever said not to go to the girls' dorms, so we went in, but cautiously. We wouldn't want some bitch tattling on the big bad troll perving on her, would we? Fuck no.

We stopped outside the room 380. John gently knocked on the bright green door and waited for a response. He bit his lip, flashing his buckteeth at me again. This was getting ridiculous and borderline offensive. Those damn teeth fucking took up my field of vision. He needed to get those atrocities the fuck out.

The door opened a crack as I thought about John's damn teeth, which I reprimanded my past self for doing. I don't give a flying fuck about John or his mouth of horrors, dammit. He could keep his fucking chompers if he damn well pleased.

A large, curious emerald green eye appeared in the crack. Curiosity was replaced by recognition and delight when the roving eye saw John standing there, grinning. It opened to reveal a female-version of Mr. Derp himself. She stared at John, bearing the same bucktoothed grin. She did not appear to even see me yet. I was kind of hiding behind John, so I guess that's understandable.

John smiled at the human girl standing before us. "Hi there, Jade."

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Cliffhanger? Nah, probably does not count as one. I will think of one later... :P


	5. The Markswoman and Ms Fish Puns

A/N: So? Last chapter was good? Eh? I'll take the silence for a maybe. It was not as long as I had promised :'(. But fear not! I will do better!

Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN.

Third person point of view again. Why? Because I can.

Alas! I must thank kaoruhikaruluver once again for the fantabulous reviews! She is a prime example for everyone to follow in the subject of reviewing a story. I am glad that you enjoy my writing, and I will continue to write this as decently as I am able.

Also, bleachTHEsky has reviewed, which delights me to no end! Yay, more reviews! I get way too happy about this…

Warning: I may not update for a few more days than usual because of interviews and homework, but I will try my best to get these chapters up and going! :D

Hopefully the fast updates make up for the shortness!

More character introductions! Joy of joys! Do not worry, John and Karkitty will get some 'down time' soon enough. :3 Hehehe….

Wooooooooooo! Chapter five! :]

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_Veins_

Chapter Five:

The Markswoman and Ms. Fish Puns

"Hey, John!" exclaimed Jade Harley as she swept the boy into a bone-crushing embrace. Her long jet-black hair swished over her shoulders as she buried her face in his shirt. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Jade," replied John fondly, extricating himself from the shorter girl's hug. Her rounded glasses reflected his face, which was beaming with delight. He noticed her style of dress was unaltered, for she donned the same white shirt with an odd little blue symbol on it and her long skirt reaching just short of her ankles.

Karkat stared at the scene enfolding in front of him. His face morphed from mild confusion and disgust, to a miffed look that made John slightly uncomfortable. What the hell was his problem?

"Uh, Karkat, this is Jade Harley, my half-sister. I haven't seen her for like three months because she lives on a freaking island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean during the summer. Jade, this is my roommate, Karkat Vantas," said John a bit awkwardly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Her eyes fell on Karkat's visage, taking its features. Her eyes had initially widened at the realization that he was a troll, but she quickly became interested in his perpetual scowl and took to examining his expression.

"What's wrong, Karkat? We just met!" she said teasingly. "Surely, you don't hate me already."

"Well, no. I guess I don't have the fucking grounds to hate your human entrails just yet," replied Karkat. He was thinking: _half-sister?_ _That's why they look so much alike...Their fucking teeth, hair color, shitty eyesight…._

He relaxed slightly in knowing their relations, although it was a foreign concept to him. Karkat shook his head slightly. _Why the hell would I give a soggy bag of hoofbeast shit about their 'familial ties'. Ugh, humans are fucked up. They have siblings? What the actual fuck? As if I care about Egderp's family, friends, or matesprit._

Jade noticed this shift in demeanor, and promptly softened her gaze so as to make him more comfortable. The poor guy looked like he had been through a lot.

"Come on in and meet my 'hivemate'. She mentioned you, Karkat. Do you know a Feferi Peixes? She is a troll too," rambled Jade as she gently took the nubby-horned troll's hand and guided him inside. He growled a little, jerking his hand, making sure to alert her to the displeasure he was experiencing at that moment. At this noise of disdain, she retracted her hand and beckoned him to follow. Jade smiled a bucktoothed grin when he relented, even if there was sarcastic eye rolling involved.

John in turn followed the Cancer, praying silently that Karkat would behave himself. He watched Karkat's retreating back as they entered the dorm room. Scrawny shoulders and a bony back met his cerulean scrutiny. He walked with his head down, his eyes following the ground. His feet clomped heavily on the floor, reiterating the fact that the troll was in a bitchy mood. John furrowed his brow. That was not a good sign at all. Maybe he would speak with him later on the matter, after their friend scavenger hunt was over.

John caught up with the other two as they stopped short of the doorway to a bedroom. It was covered in green, fuchsia, squiddles, tridents, guns, and fish-related items. In short, it was one fucked up hot mess of shit. John did not even give a second thought to the guns, for his half-sister was a fine young markswoman. Her father, or rather grandfather, who is the principal of the school, never allows her off-campus without a weapon. John's, on the other hand, did not let him leave without forcing a cake on him. Their mother was not even around to do anything; she was dead. John originally lived in Maple Valley, Washington, but moved to Scratch. Jade and her father only come to Scratch for the school year. That is all there is to say on that matter for now.

The few tridents scattered throughout the room were a mystery, as were the fish-related items and the odd color fuchsia. Karkat seemed to recognize this assortment of oddities, though. He began searching the room with fervent glances.

"Feferi? Fef? Is that you?" asked the nubby-horned troll tentatively, unsure of how she would react upon seeing him again. He hoped she was the same, cheerful, fish- punning highblood she was a sweep ago. She is actually considered royalty, what, with her marvelously fuchsia blood. She is an empress to be, but she is deemed, 'unprepared for such responsibilities' as of now. Even as a highblood of royal lineage, she still liked Karkat, which was a complete mystery to him. He was a fucking mutant, but fortunately, Feferi never judged by blood color. She would be a very just, fair empress one day.

"Karkat? Karkat! I missed your grumpy, nub-horned self!" exclaimed a sweet, high-pitched voice from within the depths of the room. A flash of black, fuchsia, and horns raced toward Karkat, throwing its arms around the grouchy Cancer.

"Hey, Feferi, fancy seeing you in this shithole," said Karkat sarcastically, relieved that she was even more upbeat and lively than he remembered. Her magenta eyes were large and pretty, catching the attention of any passer-by. Goggles that she wore at all times encircled them in her favorite color that the reader can very well guess. Her long, flowing black hair curled elegantly down her back to her supple waist. A heart-shaped visage featured minute gills protruding from the sides of her face. Long, elegant horns curved outward from the crown of her head. Her black shirt depicted the sign of the Pisces. She donned a tiara, displaying her royal pedigree to all, while blue and green skirts swirled about her graceful legs. She was a truly beautiful troll, one that gained much attention from a certain Aquarius.

"Yeah, yeah, smartass. So, where the glub have you been, Karcrab? The others have been here for two days, more or less. And how have you been? Everyfin here is going swimmingly!" said the aquatic troll, stepping away from Karkat after the hug was over.

"It took a while to get here from the ship, that's all. I was separated from you dumbasses, so of course I came late. I'm doing fine, even though my roommate is an insufferable bucktoothed douche," replied the Cancer. He glanced around. "I see you have been decorating already, Ms. Fish Puns."

Her eyes brightened. "Oh, yes! I have been unpacking and setting up my things. Things have been reely glubbing chaotic, but I think this was dolphinitely a good decision! Earth is everyfin I thought it would be. I love the oceans here, too; they are so fun to watch! The waves just crash against the cliff-side so majestically," said Feferi enthusiastically, eyes dancing with glee. Karkat actually listened in earnest, for he found her to be a friend, even if she rambled about fish way too glubbing much.

"Sounds fun, Fish-Face. Have you seen any of the others?" asked the diminutive troll.

"Yes, I have, actually. I have spoken to Equius, Nepeta….Eridan, Sollux, Kanaya, and Aradia," responded the young sea-dweller.

John and Jade had been lost at word one, so they had merely spectated. Feferi had noticed their nonparticipation in the conversation, though.

"Have you guys met the other trolls yet?" queried the Pisces. She looked to John and Jade, directing the question at them.

"I've only met Gamzee and Karkat so far, but Kar and I were on our way to meet them. They sound pretty awesome," replied John. Jade responded with a "Nope, I have not met any other than yourself".

"Well, they are all anxious to 'sea' you, Karkat. Kanaya and Sollux especially worried over your late arrival," said Feferi, stressing the word 'see' for the sake of a fish pun.

"Whale, you heard her, Karkat, John. You guys should get going, we have stuff to do, and trolls to 'sea' as well," Jade said, addressing the boys. Feferi's fish punning was flipping contagious.

"Okay, Jade, we'll get out of your hair. Bye, Fef, it was nice meeting you!" said John. Karkat mumbled a farewell to the girls and followed in John's wake, wanting nothing more than to grab something to eat.

Skipping breakfast had not been the best idea in the world. Karkat's stomach made sure he knew that. He glared at John.

"Hey, Egderp, let's grab a bite to eat, I'm fucking starving."

"Okay, Sassy Pants, we can stop by the on-campus café for a while. Sound good, Kar?" asked John, obliging the grumpy troll. They were now outside, walking toward a small food court near the North Campus.

"Fine. I just hope your disgustingly shitty human food will be edible," growled Karkat, happy that they were taking a break from all of these damn people, and were going to just eat and relax for fucking once.

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Soooooooo? Do tell me your thoughts and opinions thus far! I appreciate it very much! :D


	6. Frothy Escapades With John and Karkat I

A/N: Hey, y'all! I am back! I got chapter six done and up, and I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Homestuck, although I wish I did….

John's POV! Finally! The bucktoothed wonder finally gets a say in all of this bullshittery.

I thank all of you who have reviewed, favorited, followed, and read my humble fanfiction! :D You guys are awesome sauce! Zexionienzo's and so-adorabloodthirsty's reviews are much appreciated! I will focus more on characterization now and I will keep in mind the characters' mannerisms.

Okay, runswithlolwolves's review made me feel fuzzy inside! :] I am so, so happy that my story elicits such emotions! Thank you for loving this story!

By the by, I have read over this chapter thoroughly so as to catch any mistakes, grammatical or spelling. I even had a few friends read this through! Thank you, kaoruhikaruluver, for informing me of my errors in your miraculous review!

I apologize sincerely for a possible OOC Karkat, but this is how it must be for the chapter…

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Veins

Chapter Six:

Frothy Escapades With John and Karkat

Part I

Karkat and I stopped outside the small café, drinking in the aroma coming from its interior. Karkat looked crabby, as per usual, although he seemed to soften at the thought of food and less people around to annoy him. Kar is so funny when he is angry! I can't help but grin when I think of his comical scowl. He says the weirdest things, too. He's all bark and no bite I think. I wonder if he ever stops glowering at everything that moves, though.

"What the hell are you grinning at, you shit-faced douche tool?" inquired the peeved nub-horned troll, curling his lip. This exposed his pointed teeth to me. How does he not constantly bite his lip? Well, I guess I have no damn room to talk, considering my buckteeth could puncture bone with ease.

"Nothing, you just look like an _adorable_ little pissed-off kitty-cat when you call me things like 'douche tool'," I said jokingly. His face turned a shade of red in what I presume as anger.

"I am not _adorable_, dammit, I am fucking _adorabloodthirsty_ if anything, Egderp," replied the Cancer.

"Awww, Kar, I was only joking," I said as innocently as I could.

"Fuck you."

"Karkat, we aren't _that_ close yet, you know?"

"You say 'yet' as if implying that we will be _that_ close one day, which we sure as fucking hell won't be."

"You'll learn to love me."

"Not fucking likely, dumbass."

After this bout of banter, I walked into the deserted café and went up to the counter to order. Karkat hesitated, but he then decided to follow. The barista at the counter stared at him in wonderment, curious as to why a troll of all things was here. She merely shrugged this off and smiled at us as we approached. I guess she either wasn't a judgmental person, or she knew that trolls now went to school here. I am betting on the latter.

"I'll take a tall black coffee and a cinnamon roll with extra icing," I said, knowing the menu like the back of my hand. I looked at Karkat, confused as to why he was not ordering, and then it dawned on me that he wasn't from around here…like, at all.

"He wants a triple Grande cappuccino and a cinnamon-raisin bagel with cream cheese," I continued, ordering for Mr. Grumpy standing awkwardly beside me.

"Alrighty, coming right up, boys," the barista said. She hurried off to prepare the food and drinks. Karkat shifted his weight from foot to foot,looking around the shop. I suddenly realized something. I realized I did not have the student ID card that I use to charge purchases to an account. Damn it.

"Hey, Karkat, I sort of forgot my student ID, so I can't pay," I say sheepishly, looking at my shoes bashfully.

"Dammit, John, I guess that means I'll have to pay, doesn't it?" he says in slight annoyance. He takes a small billfold from his back pocket and slips out a twenty, the smallest bill he had. I guess upon arrival he received 'human money'.

"Uh, thanks, Karkat. I'll pay you back soon, okay?" I say, hoping to make amends. He stares at me for a second and nibbles his lip.

"It's okay, Egderp, keep your money this time. Just don't forget your fucking money next time," he replied. Next time? Was he implying that they could do this again? I sure hope so; I like his company, no matter how moody he is. I'll hold him to this offer, although he involuntarily implied it, and I'll have to pay if we do come here again.

The barista returned soon after Karkat withdrew the money. She handed me the two dishes with the cinnamon roll and the bagel on them. Karkat handed her the money and took up the two drinks she had set down on the counter. I walked over to my favorite booth, which was nestled in the back corner of the dimly-lit joint, and waited for Karkat, who was getting his change, albeit a little perplexedly. Once that was done, he glanced around feverishly in confusion and slight panic, but then his eyes found mine, and his face melted into his customary scowl once again. He quickly walked toward our booth.

"Don't just up and fucking disappear like that, fuckass. I thought you fucking left me to eat this shit alone," said Karkat in annoyance as he sat across from me. He was worried I had left? He had looked unnerved at the thought of being here alone. Maybe he just didn't like being without something familiar, and I was all he had in this place besides his troll friends, which were nowhere in sight.

"You think I would ditch you? Where the hell would I go?" I asked, gesturing around me, laughing.

"Why for fuck's sakes _wouldn't_ you ditch me?" mumbled Karkat as he slowly picked up the bagel and gave it an exploratory sniff.

I swear my mouth spontaneously formed a question mark. "Well, gee, Karkat, I like hanging out with you; you're hilariously crabby. You haven't given me a reason not to, anyway. Besides, you even paid for my lunch!" I said, hoping to lighten his terrible mood.

There was a momentary pause. "Thanks, Egbert."

"No problem, buddy, now let's eat," I said. I lifted the cinnamon roll to my lips and hummed in contentment. After an experimental nibble, I dug in and devoured the delicious confection in a matter of seconds. When I first came to this school when I was very young, I adamantly refused to eat anything having to do with baking because of Betty Crocker and her evil foodstuffs, but the food here is too amazing to pass up.

Karkat was not as enthusiastic about my 'Human Foods' as I was by any means. He licked the cream cheese first, tasting it and savoring its flavor. Immediately his face lit up and he took a large bite, leaving a huge gaping hole in the bagel. I think he liked it…

"This is fucking delicious! Damn, why can't we have had this on Alternia?" he said, munching happily, and for once not giving me Death Glares of Fucking Doom.

"I knew you'd like our 'Human Foods'. I warned you about the food, bro."

I took a sip of my coffee, enjoying the bitter taste it left lingering on my tongue. After eating something so sweet, a nice, bitter cup of hot coffee was good. Apparently Karkat didn't feel the same.

After finishing his bagel, he focused his attention on his frothy drink.

"What the hell is this bullshittery gracing my fucking presence and taunting me with the smells of 'what the hell is this' and 'fuck you, I could be poisonous to trolls'?" asked Karkat as he wrinkled his nose at the offending drink. I personally loved cappuccinos.

"It's an amazing human drink that will not kill your grumpy-ass self, okay? It's a cappuccino, so calm your tits."

He gave me a withering look that pierced my soul, and then cautiously sipped the drink. He blinked and then looked at me in wonder. He had a small blob of froth on his nose.

"That was fucking awesome. I love this stuff," he said, going in for more. He once again looked up, this time with more froth on his face and a dusting of red on his cheeks.

"Just because I like this shit doesn't mean I love every-fucking-thing about your planet now, so don't get your damned hopes up, Egderp," he said, not noticing the frothy goodness remaining on his face. I finally could not stand it any longer.

"Hey Karkat?" I said, getting his attention.

"Yeah, what the hell do you –," he never finished his thought, for I had quickly wiped the foam off of his nose and upper lip with my finger and licked it. Hey, wasting that deliciousness was of no help to anyone.

He looked at me stunned. "What the fucking fuck just took place here? You, Egderp, have defiled my face evermore." He grabbed his drink and held it in his lap defensively.

"And no more froth for you, damn it, it's my drink," the Cancer murmured, embarrassed by what I had just done. Why the hell _did_ I do that? I could have just told him about the foam on his face, but I guess it was more fun this way.

"S-sorry Kar, I kind of got a little carried away," I stammered, chuckling a bit at his expense.

He only sipped his drink, finishing it, and smirked mischievously.

"Now it's only fair I get some of yours," he said making a grab for my coffee. I held it out of his reach as he lunged, causing him to lean across the table farther than he should. He growled in the back of his throat, and he pulled himself onto the table, disregarding the unstable surface. The dishes clattered to the floor and the table tilted dangerously. He wobbled and then fell. Where did he fall, you ask?

He fell in my lap.

His hands were on the back support of the booth to hold himself up.

One of my hands held the drink out to the side while the other was on his waist.

Our legs were hopelessly tangled.

We both blushed a becoming shade of red.

His large crimson eyes widened in surprise, mirroring my own expression of shock.

Our faces were only five inches apart.

I think I smelled strawberries and cherries intermingling with cream cheese…

We stared into each other's eyes thinking the same thing:

_How the hell did we end up like this?_

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H3H3H3H3H3! :]

Would this be considered a cliff-hanger? I think so...


	7. Frothy Escapades With John and Karkat II

A/N: Why helloooooooo, my lovely readers, whom I cherish with all my soul.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Homestuck, for all you fuckasses who think I do.

So, how was the last chapter? Did y'all like the cliffhanger type dealie thing I left? I thought y'all might. Well, this is the continuation of the last chapter, so this…situation that John and Karkat find themselves in will be 'resolved'. ^^

I would like to thank so-adorabloodthirsty yet again for an awesome review. Heh, the name _might_ be a coincidence ;). Also, I just had to leave it at that point last chapter! It was too tempting!

It never hurts to reiterate this to the world, so again, I thank all of my readers with all of my heart! :B

I apologize for the lateness! I have been working on my book report on _The Three Musketeers_. I enjoyed the novel very much, but the analysis I must complete is a pain, especially for a girl with a fandom to write about.

Also, just saying so no one nags me, I used Rose's outfit from in the game rather than her usual one before the game.

Warning: Third person POV. H3H3H3.

Now, onward we march, my people.

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_Veins_

Chapter Seven:

Frothy Escapades With John and Karkat

Part II

Karkat had never noticed until now that John's freckles looked comparable to tantalizing sprinkles of cinnamon peppered across his cheeks. He had never been a mere five inches from the boy's face before, so of course he had not noticed this. Smooth, raven hair fell into his eyes a little, reaching just past his glasses. He also noted the purity of John's cerulean eyes, and how he could become lost in their swirling tempest of blues. They were intoxicating, tempting him to stare into them all day. He leaned forward involuntarily, ever so slightly…

John had never noticed Karkat's flawless gray skin and how when it tinted vermillion from an embarrassed blush, it was unearthly and mesmerizing. He looked into those yellow and red eyes, fully taking in the contrast in the colors. That crimson red flared with a passionate fire usually fueled with anger, but now it fed from the troll's sheer astonishment at the situation he now found himself in. Pearlescent fangs peeked out from the Cancer's mouth, which was slightly agape in shock. John found himself bewitched by the sight of the troll before him. He slowly craned his neck…

This.

Is.

Stu-

No, this is not stupid. This is merely the odd beginning of what appears to be a 'friendship'. Whether or not this comes to fruition or not is up to the two current figures of interest, who seem to have recovered their senses.

"Holy shit, Karkat! What the hell were you thinking? You could have hurt one, or both of us pulling something like that!" shouted John as Karkat fell with an 'oof' over to his side next to him. After the rather awkward episode of staring into each other's eyes and almost kissing, Karkat had tipped over, attempting to avoid falling headlong onto John's chest. John had taken his hand from Karkat's waist as he slumped over. They were both now sitting on the same bench of the booth, perched ramrod straight. They glanced at each other, blushed to kingdom fucking come, and turned away.

"Well, that was certainly a compromising situation," came a methodical, yet feminine, tone. They boys could pick out the amusement that completely saturated the voice.

"R-Rose?" queried John uncertainly, hoping that the aforementioned female had not seen everything that had just happened. His hopes were crushed into dust as a prim young woman and a dignified troll girl appeared from around the corner, coming to a stop in front of the duo. The girl of which John spoke was a pale, delicate figure that stood straight and proud before them. Her strange platinum blonde hair was cropped short, just reaching past her ears. A black headband contrasted her hair, bringing the unique color to attention. Her serious eyes, lined with black eyeliner, were that of a vivid pink hue. John could discern the intelligence and keen wit in the pink depths. Her lips were painted a beautiful black that seemed very striking against her pale skin. She donned a simple black dress that had a pink sash tied around the waist of it. A small symbol, reminiscent of a deranged squiddle, matched the pink accents of the outfit.

"Yes, It is I. Now, onto more," there was a pause in which Rose quirked an eyebrow slyly, "pressing matters. Why was a troll, unbeknownst to me, straddling you, staring into your eyes hungrily, as if spellbound, just a mere second ago? Also, it appears as if your own visage were returning the 'spellbound' expression," said Rose, smirking. The troll beside her looked at Karkat, and her eyes widened, recognizing him as she did a double take.

"Karkat, you are with this human? What were you doing to him?" asked the troll, gesturing toward John. Her jade-colored eyes brimmed with relief that she had found her friend, and also with concern as to what he had been doing to John.

She had grown taller over the past sweep. Her jet-black hair was in a windswept pixie cut, and tall, proud horns protruded from her head. The left horn, the same colors as all troll horns are, had a hook that jutted downward from the point, while the right was a arched horn of relatively the same length and curve with no adornments. Her jade-green eyes and Virgo sign on her black shirt indicated that she was a highly respectable jade blood, who tended to the Mother Grub in the birthing caverns. Her Jade lipstick-clad lips, usually the natural black, allowed two elongated fangs to show, giving her the appearance of a vampire or a 'rainbow drinker', as trolls called it. She had always been inclined to dress more fashionably than the rest of her friends, and this fact was well supported by her tasteful long-sleeved charcoal undershirt with a black shirt displaying her emblem and a red skirt that hugged her hips and flared slightly at the bottom, which was just shy of her ankles.

"Kanaya! I am so fucking happy to see you! I wasn't doing anything to this idiot. He took some of my delicious froth, and he wouldn't give me some of his," said Karkat as he pouted slightly.

She tilted her head to the side in a sign of confusion. "Froth?"

John looked back and forth between the two trolls, who continued to converse, before answering Rose. "Um, well, he sort of, uh, fell in my lap while trying to steal my coffee from me," he said quickly in an embarrassed tone. He then registered the last bit of what she had said. "And he was not staring into my eyes like that! He and I were just…." He trailed off, hoping to avoid the brunt of the ridicule. "Nevermind about that though. I missed you, Rose!"

A knowing smile caressed the corners of Rose's black-painted lips. "Hmmm, well, I suppose introductions are in order, seeing as I have not the first clue who this theoretical coffee-stealer is. Let's get to know each other, no? By the by, I missed you too, John." At this point, Kanaya and Karkat had turned their attention back to Rose.

"This is Karkat Vantas, my roommate," said John, gesturing toward Karkat as he spoke. "Karkat, this is one of my oldest and best friends, Rose Lalonde."

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Vantas," said Rose, holding out her pale, dainty hand for the grumpy troll to shake.

"Likewise, Lalonde," replied Karkat in his customary annoyed tone of voice as he contemptuously took her hand and shook it firmly, as was the human custom.

Rose turned back to John. "This is my roommate, Kanaya Maryam," said Rose, a smile touching her lips.

"Hi, Kanaya, nice to meet you! You know Karkat, right? I saw you guys talking," said John facing the female troll and grinning.

"Why yes, I am well acquainted with him. He is a dear friend to me," she paused and turned to Karkat with jade eyes filled with joy. "and I have missed you Karkat. I suppose you comprehend my feelings of loneliness, considering you were isolated like the others and I were."

"Kan…I know. I missed you and the others too, but what if…" Karkat bit his bottom lip and furrowed his brow. He cast his eyes down, not meeting Kanaya's eyes. This was very uncharacteristic of the nubby-horned troll. Kanaya knew what he was getting at.

"They have not changed in the sense you concern yourself with, Karkat, but they have matured. Even Nepeta, as playful and frivolous as she may be, has grown into a mature troll, among others who have undergone changes. Even you have changed. I can see it in your eyes. They have completed their transformation," said the Virgo affectionately, yet sorrowfully.

Karkat growled at the mention of his unique eyes. "I'm nothing but a fucking mutant. My eyes are a testament to that damn fact, Kanaya. If anything, Gamzee will have a fucking rage-splode in his thinkpan again, and this time he'll kill me for my damn candy blood. He may be my moirail, but the dumbfuck clown will go insane and…" Karkat could not finish the thought. What if Gamzee really did try to murder him? Karkat mulled this over. No, he is way too fucked up to kill his moirail, right? Right.

"He will do no such thing, Karkat. He will not harm you as long as I am around," she said, pulling out a tube of jade lipstick from a pocket in her skirt and smirking.

"I can defend my own fucking self, dammit! And is that your chainsaw? I swear to fuck, I will flip my fucking shit if you threaten me with that again," said Karkat, glaring at the offensive makeup.

John stared at it in confusion. "Chainsaw? It's just a tube of green lipstick."

"That's what you think, Egderp," came a mumble from Karkat as Kanaya placed the lipstick back into her pocket.

"Maybe I will show you one day, John," came the enigmatic reply from the Virgo. John only shook his head and looked at Kanaya disbelievingly, then looking back to Karkat.

John only just registered what the Cancer had said about his blood. He glanced at Karkat's scowling face, deducing that the topic was not one to fuck around with. He would ask later, when they were alone. He had no idea what they meant about blood color and eye color and shit.

"Well, John, I am afraid that Miss Maryam and I must take our leave. Farewell, John, Karkat," Rose stated during the silence following the conversation of the lipstick.

"Yes, goodbye, John. Take care and behave, Karkat," said Kanaya, gazing meaningfully at the boys. She cared about the grouchy Cancer, and she wanted him to be happy for once in his young troll life. He seemed to at least tolerate the John Human. Maybe Karkat could…become John's friend.

"Bye, Rose! Bye, Kanaya!" said John as they turned to exit the café.

"Yeah, I'll see you later, Kanaya. Bye, Lalonde," said the candy-blooded troll, watching them leave. He looked fondly after Kanaya, but did not bother to worry himself with Rose. She was the flightiest broad he had ever come across.

Karkat hoped the jade blood was right. He hoped the others he had yet to see would not change their opinion of him, however low and disgusting his blood is. At least he had Dave (although he admitted this grudgingly), Rose, Jade, Gamzee, Kanaya, Feferi, and a certain bucktoothed idiot, who he absolutely loathed, on his side.

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I hope you guys like this chapter! It has not been my best work, but I had to get something done. :P


	8. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider Bitch

A/N: Personally, this is one of my favorite titles I have thought of. I can just picture Vriska saying this in a snarky, bitchy voice (no offense to Vriska fans, but I just picture it like that).

Oh my, I feel loved with all the reviews! First, thank you, kaoruhikaruluver for your ever-faithful reviews! I know how you feel about school, it just ruins fanfiction. Your reviews are very helpful, and I hope that you continue to critique, read, and enjoy.

Also, I am glad that you like my story, Black Rose Heart! You check for my story updates as voraciously as Homestuck updates? I am touched! :'D I try to make this story as enthralling as possible for my readers, and I am glad you appreciate my efforts. Apparently I have done a good job so far because MapleSunflower reviewed saying that it was awesome! I will update as fast as possible. :B

The last chapter was SO anti-climactic, as told by so-adorabloodthirsty in a fab-tastic review, it made me cry to read it, and I am the one who wrote it! I was aiming for a mellower conclusion to that episode actually, so I suppose it was a success. I know you lovelies want hot, sloppy make outs, but I am taking this slow and realistically, or at least as realistically as possible. :D But makeouts and other goodies will come eventually.

As far as grammar is concerned, there are some fragmented sentences, but those are purposeful. My artistic license allows such blasphemy occasionally.

This will be Karkat's POV. He is so fun to write!

Okay, let us continue this hot mess.

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_Veins_

Chapter Eight:

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider Bitch

Well, that was fucking interesting. Let me think, I fell in Egderp's fucking lap, almost _kissed_ the fuckass, Kanaya and Lalonde witnessed this embarrassing bullshittery, and then we had a fuckfest of greetings and shitty reunions complete with taunting smirks from flighty broads and chainsaw threats. I really had missed Kanaya though. It was nice to see her and her chainsaw again after isolation from my friends for an entire sweep.

After Kanaya and the Rose Human left, John turned to me, grinning that stupid grin like always.

"So, who's next?" he said, derpily tilting his head to the side and smiling at me. That. Damn. Smile. I swear to fuck, that smile will haunt me in my Goddamn sleep and never leave me the fuck alone. Damn him and his derp-ass smile.

"What do you mean, Zoosmell Pooplord?" I asked, although I knew full fucking well what he meant. I did _not_ want him there when I faced the others.

He crinkled his freckled nose at the name I had called him by. "I mean to see your troll buddies, Kar! Come on, let's go!" he said grabbing my arm, gently might I add, and dragging me out of the café. I followed him unwillingly. We walked for a time before I spoke the fuck up.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? You don't know where they are, dumbass," I said. He's such a moron.

He stopped and turned to me with a look of realization. "Oh yeah, right. Well, can you lead the way so we can go meet them? Please, Karkaaaaat?" John asked with wide blue eyes and a bucktoothed grin. I grumbled in defeat. He would never let me hear the fucking end of it if I said no.

"Dammit, Egderp, fine, I'll take you to see them. Just behave yourself, or I will cut off your damn arms, beat you with the bloody fucking ends, and then cull you," I told him, assuming a threatening air. He only giggled in a totally unmanly way and finally let go of my arm, which he had been holding for ten fucking minutes.

"Okay then, let's go," he said, waiting for me to take the lead. I had no idea where the fuck they were either, though…

Naturally, not knowing where the hell those fucktards were, I started walking in a random direction in hopes of avoiding anything that breathed, especially my friends. Like I said, I didn't want him there to embarrass me even further in front of the others. I headed for the East Campus. We walked for a good, long-ass twenty minutes before I saw _her_ in a secluded part of the campus. That. Fucking. Bitch.

Unfortunately, said bitch was walking right past John and me. Of course, Egderp had to say hello and draw attention to us.

"Hey, troll girl with the funky horns! Are you Karkat's friend?" John shouted when she got within hearing distance. I snarled at the approaching figure.

She looked our way in surprise, but then a sly smirk curled her disgustingly blue lips when she recognized me. John dragged me toward Her Bitchiness, who met us halfway. We both took a moment to examine the wretched creature, although I am sure Egderp enjoyed the sight more than I did.

Her long, wavy black hair went just past her curvy waist. She wore a black shirt with her insignia, a cerulean Scorpio symbol, that told of her high-class blue blood status. Her gray jacket had one sleeve torn off, displaying her robotic arm to the fucking world. Her vibrant cobalt eye was framed by large glasses that were much less derpy than Egbert's. Her blue-painted lips, which allowed fangs much like Kanaya's to poke out, were the same blue as her vindictive eye. I say 'eye' because her dumbass cue ball decided to mysteriously explode in her face, putting out her eye and taking away her vision eightfold, and also taking off her left arm. Zahhak made her that damn robotic arm. That bitch deserved to writhe in agony without her arm, I say. She now wore a blackened lens to cover the raw socket where her left eye should be. Her horns rose skyward and then did some crazy-ass weird shit at the tips. Her left horn made a crescent, or rather a pincer-looking dealie, while the right did that weird hook-shaped thing like Kanaya's did. She also has a habit of carrying around eight eight-sided dice, called the Fluorite Octet, which she uses as a weapon. She has this stupid thing about spiders and the number eight, therefore, she is forever the _amazing_ Spider Bitch. A fitting name, no?

I honestly hope that her mind control shit does not work here though…

"Hey! You must know Karkat if you're a troll going to school here," said John in greeting. "I'm John Egbert. What's your name?"

"Hello there, _John_. I'm Vriska Serket, the one and only. Of _course_ I know Karkat! He is practically my _moirail_," she said in a taunting tone. Her voice was smooth, sensual, and dangerous. Apparently John did not catch the dangerous undertone. That fucking moronic shithead.

"Really? Well, Karkat, why didn't you tell me you guys knew each other?" asked John, turning to me. He did not notice the look of pure disdain when I beheld that blue blood piece of shit.

"She's being sarcastic, dumbshit. Why would we be 'friends'? She's the fucking reason why Tavros almost died! She's the fucking reason Terezi is fucking blind! She's the fucking reason Aradia died, dammit!" I said, growling the last bit. That bitch is psychotic.

"What? Y-you killed one of your f-friends? What the h-hell is wrong with you?" asked John in horror, turning back to Vriska, who was still smirking ominously. He stumbled behind me to where I could not see him.

"Nitram had it coming. He needed to toughen up, otherwise, he would be better off dead. At least I didn't kill him, I only paralyzed him. It's all cool now, though; Zahhak is working on robotic legs for him. Terezi and I are even now, so that is a closed case as well. Aradia...let's just say that lowblood had to pay. Less irons in the fire for me," she said in a casual, yet seductive voice.

"Enough of your damn 'irons in the fire' shit. You took your Flarping fuckery way too far, Spider Bitch. You abused those mind control powers of yours, and now look! You have no friends to speak of. Even Terezi, your fellow Scourge Sister, abandoned you. And don't you dare forget Aradia's little _accident_," I said in a challenging, angry-as-fuck manner. I was pissed all over again for her plethora of transgressions.

Her visage became flustered as I stared her down, daring her to strife. It looks like she is up to my duel. I left my sickles back in my bag in the respiteblock, though, dammit…

"That had nothing to do with you, _mutant candy blood_," she said nastily. My eyes widened and my breathing became shallow and ragged. But, wait, how did she- oh yeah, my telltale candy-red eyes. It seems all my luck just abandoned me. I might be culled, right here and now, and John will be the only other witness to my death. This is just fucking perfect.

"So this is your true blood color, eh? How interesting, Karkat, your own eyes betray your deepest, darkest secret. I wonder what that sludge coursing through your veins looks like when it is smeared in the dirt, where it should be," Vriska taunted, motioning for me to come at her. She was still a little ways off, so I had room to maneuver.

I took a defensive stance and stepped backwards, creating distance between us as Vriska discreetly slid her Fluorite Octet out of her pocket, preparing to strife. She meant to cull me, there was no doubt in that simple fact. She was out for my damnable blood, and I was not about to give her the satisfaction of obtaining it. Right at the instant that she was to strike me, a figure leapt in front of me and spread their arms as if to protect me. I recognized that hair and that lithe body…Why would he-

"I know we only just met and all, Vriska, but I will not let you touch Karkat!" said John as threateningly as he could. His thin frame trembled, showing the entire fucking universe how frightened he was of this huge-ass bitch. I was not judging though because I was scared shitless too.

"Get out of my way, human! It's the mutant candy blood I want!" she said, running toward John and me at full speed. As she charged, she reared her arm back and flung her dice, all eight of them. She meant business.

The dice arced gracefully in the air, glinting a beautiful cerulean hue as they fell to the earth. The Fluorite Octet began to glow a pale blue hue when all eight of the set had come to a rest.

"No...no...damn," I whispered. She had rolled all eights. This was her most devastating attack. We are lost, dammit, lost I tell you. Even _with_ my weapons, I would be dead in a second. That lucky bitch just never looses.

"Karkat? What is this?" John asked as he watched the spectacle unfolding before him. Her clothes transformed into those of her ancestor, Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, the notorious pirate. A black long-tailed coat with cerulean accents clothed her torso, hugging it tightly, while long black pants concealed her legs. Her emblem was proudly displayed on her chest. A skirt reminiscent of a spider's web flared around her long legs, and knee-high red boots adorned her feet. In her gloved hand, she held a new weapon that I have come to dread. A wicked cerulean sword with a deadly hook jutting down from the end was pointed at my racing vascular pump, or rather John's. This ghostly apparition has come to be a sort of Grim Reaper to me.

"This is…Ancestral Awakening," I replied, taking a step back in horror. I was going to die. I have to come to terms with that immutable fact. I was a dead troll walking. She advanced towards us, savoring our fear.

All I could see was that smirk, promising me certain death. That glinting eye of the purest of cerulean pierced my being, whispering to me in the voice of an angel, '_you_, _Karkat_ _Vantas_,_ are going to be c__ulled_'. The red sludge that caused this in the first damn place is roaring in my ears, screaming at me to run, or at least protect myself. I look back to John, who is still standing right in front of me, quivering, defending me from Vriska. I need to protect him first, then I can focus on saving my own ass. I just need to get to John before Spider Bitch does. I cannot allow him to die because of my own damn problems. I deserve to die more that John, so I might as well get this over and done with.

My pride be damned.

"John! John, move, Goddamn it!" I yelled as I sprinted toward him, preparing to shove him out of Vriska's line of fire and take the full force of her strike. If someone has to die, it should be me.

She raised her sword above her head, preparing to strike us down. A crazed fire in her eye danced in wild, psychotic ecstasy as she continued in our direction, getting ever closer. I could see her shark-like grin, daring me to defy my imminent death.

Before I could even lay a fucking finger on him, Vriska stopped dead in her tracks, skidding to a halt, and lowered her sword, albeit hesitantly. A figure stood in front of John and me, weapon raised. The figure's head swiveled to the side.

"Hey there Karkles, need a hand?" asked a familiar, teasing voice. A flicker of hope smoldered within me, fueled by the appearance of the apparition before me.

Vriska ground her teeth and narrowed her blue eye maliciously at the newcomer. The aforementioned newcomer only grinned a cheshire cat grin and tensed, ready for battle.

"Long time, no see, Scourge Sister."

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Cliffhanger...How typical of me! ;) Tell me if I messed up, okay? I loooooooove feedback!


	9. The Infamous Scourge Sisters

A/N: Am I improving in my writing? Am I doing well? I must learn the truth from you all. Please tell me!

Thank you kaoruhikaruluver, for informing me of my improvement! I am glad that you think I am progressing in my skills as an author. Alas! I am overjoyed that you will stick with me until the end of this fanfiction. I could not ask for a better reader/reviewer. :D

Hehe, I am sorry, so-adorabloodthirsty, but that is how I roll! Cliffhangers are addicting to write. :B I hope you like it anyway, no matter how much my style infuriates or pisses you off. I even piss myself off when I re-read it!

Oh, aimlessNovelist, I too love Vriska's drama and all her irons in the fire. All of them. Thank you for appreciating my story. I hope you continue reading and reviewing!

I am feeling the love right now! Shadowgirl111, thank you for expressing your love for my work! I have a profound addiction for writing this, and I hope you are just as enthralled in reading it as I am in writing it. ;)

I love your review, Zexionienzo! Of course I will update as fast as humanly possible for all you lovelies I so adore. I appreciate the comment about my fanfiction being, and I quote, "the fucking shit of fanfiction." This is taken out of context, but I assume you love it because of the rest of your fabulous review's praise. I love you guys! :B (I actually a bit of an overbite, so this emoticon is pretty accurate).

Disclaimer: I do not own this beautiful thing called Homestuck.

**Heads up**: Terezi has her Dragon Cane in this, not her usual one before the game.

Chapter Nine! Yaaaaaaaay! :]

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_Veins_

Chapter Nine:

The Infamous Scourge Sisters

"Well, well, well, Vriska, looks like we're in a bit of a bitch-fit, hehehe," said the unknown troll with a shit-eating grin present on her lips.

"Pyrope, get the hell out of here. I have business with the candy blood, not you," said Vriska, raising her sword again.

"I suggest you take your own advice and scram, Serket, before I have to do something drastic," retorted the mysterious character in a low, menacing tone.

"Well, if you won't fucking move, then I'll just go through you!" screeched Vriska maniacally as she suddenly rushed at the newcomer. Said newcomer readied her weapon, a cane of sorts, and braced herself.

"Karkat, protect him! This is going to get all kinds of ugly!" cried their defender.

The Cancer knew whom she meant by 'him', so he took the initiative and tackled John to the ground unceremoniously, wrapping his arms around the boy protectively and guarding him with his body should a need for fleshy shields arise. John looked up at Karkat, who was hovering little more than seven inches above his face. John in turn wrapped his long arms around Karkat's waist and held him tight. They could see the distinct fear in each other's eyes.

"Don't fucking move, Egbert," said Karkat, his raspy voice shaky and uncertain.

"Ka-Karkat? Why is she- what did she mean-," stuttered the confused derp. He had no idea whatsoever of what the hell was going on.

"Now is not the Jegus fucking time, Egderp! Just be still and shut the fuck up," Karkat said, his tone commanding. He bit his lip and shifted his weight so as to make John more comfortable with this awkward-as-fuck position.

"O-okay."

~O~

Now that John and Karkles were squared away and safe from Vriska's vicious attacks, Pyrope could focus on ending this.

"Terezi, if you don't get out of my damn way, you'll die with them!" shouted Vriska as she neared her opponent. The blue blood's sword gleamed cruelly in the afternoon sun's rays, hungry for blood of any and all colors.

Terezi cast a final sniff back at the pair on the ground behind her, and then she stepped forward, brandishing her long, white Dragon Cane, which was decked with a candy-red dragon-shaped skull at the top where her hand rested. She swiftly separated the mutable cane into two halves. The now divided weapon assumed the form of deadly twin blades.

Terezi crossed her swords in a defensive stance, as Vriska finally clashed with her. The Scorpio brought her weapon down on the crossed formation of her opponent's swords, but was shoved back when Terezi, keeping her balance and her blades in a protective position, kicked out with her right leg, striking her in the nutrition sack. Vriska stumbled backwards, inadvertently lowering her sword and allowing Terezi to strike again. She thrust both blades at the blue blood's abdomen, but Vriska, just in time, parried the assault. She skidded back, wincing from the lingering pain in her abdomen.

"I want to kill you more than you know, Vriska, but this is a new start, a fresh beginning. Don't fuck it up for us," Terezi said grimly.

"My partner in crime, my Scourge Sister…you disdain my _justice_? I thought your dream was to become a legislacerator and met out supreme justice to all. This red blood deserves his _proper_ punishment, does he not, Redglare? This mutant is a disgrace and an abomination to our divine race. You should join me, Sister Redglare." Vriska used Terezi's old Flarping name, hoping to fall in her favor and flatter her for nefarious purposes. It was worth a shot, at least.

Vriska took a few steps in Karkat and the derpy human's direction, but Terezi intercepted her, weapons in hand. They stared each other down, neither moving. Vriska suddenly lunged forward, stabbing empty air, for Terezi had danced cleanly out of the way, no blood drawn. The teal blood, in retaliation, leapt to the side as Vriska came forward again. Terezi slashed with one sword at Vriska's arm, but only managed to slice a gaping hole in her sleeve. The blade also made contact with the cerulean blood's limb, but unfortunately, it was her prosthetic arm. A loud screech was created by this metal on metal contact. Vriska twirled gracefully away and brought her sword up to point at Terezi, who had her swords resting at her sides. The teal blood merely frowned and shook her head. The Scorpio frowned as well at this sign of refusal, and she swished her weapon in a whirl of complex twists and spins and finally let it fall to her side in an idle position. The two faced each other again.

"We are no longer the infamous Scourge Sisters as we once were in our Flarping days, and you know it, Serket. And you've known Mr. Crabby for how long? I never recall you trying to cull him when you admitted flushed feelings for him. This has nothing to do with his delicious cherry blood, does it?" retorted Terezi with a smug smirk adorning her lips.

Vriska's eyes widened considerably. "I-I did no such thing, Pyrope! That little nub-horned scum was never my matesprit!" she growled defensively, baring her fangs.

"Hehehe, I never said you _were_ matesprits, I merely said you had flushed feelings for Karkles before we left for this human planet. I never said or implied that he _reciprocated, _did I? He turned you down, Vriska. That is the only reason for this sudden rage-splosion from you," came the reply, setting Vriska off yet again.

"Damn you to hell, Pyrope! How did you fucking –"

"Karkles told me," said Terezi nonchalantly. Vriska made a guttural sound low in her throat, displaying her loathing for the troll before her. Terezi sniffed daintily at the air. "Heheh, do I smell the tang of jealousy along with all that rage, Serket?" asked the cackling troll tauntingly. "I can practically taste the anger and embarrassment radiating from your body."

"That's it, bitch, you're gonna pay!" screeched the Scorpio.

Vriska charged at Terezi, blade held in one hand, which was thrown back in frenzy, while the other reached blindly forward seemingly in search of something lost. She swung the sword to the side, fully intending to slice Terezi in half, but the troll swiftly blocked the attack with one of her twin blades. Metal against metal, the weapons clashed, creating small spurts of white sparks. Vriska spun on her heel, one leg thrown out to keep her balance, and she twisted her body away from her opponent while striking out at the same time, catching Terezi off-guard.

The troll felt a searing pain in her left arm, and she hissed in agony. She regained her composure as the enraged Scorpio flew at her again, even though the laceration in her upper arm was bleeding teal profusely. For now, she ignored her suffering to focus on the strife at hand.

Just as Vriska was about to bring her sword down upon her opponent again, Terezi dropped low to the ground so as to avoid the swinging blade, and she swept the blue blood's legs out from under her with her own. The high-and-mighty cerulean blood, even in her new form, was no match for Terezi's skill in combat.

"Wha-" was all Vriska managed to utter before the teal blood had her pinned to the ground with twin swords to her throat. One of the weapons scratched Vriska's throat, drawing a thin line of cerulean blood. A few drops welled in the cut and then streamed down her neck until it dripped into the dirt. Cerulean liquid blended with the earth, creating a blue mud that stuck to the back of the Scorpio's neck.

"We are finished here," said the teal blood with finality as she retracted her weapons from Vriska's neck and stepped away. Terezi slid her swords back into their original cane-form, picked up Vriska's majestic blade, and snapped it in half. It was cheap shit and it snapped like a fucking twig. She then put her hand to the wound on her upper arm to staunch the flow of vivid teal blood.

"No! Fuck you, dammit! My ancestor's sword!" shouted the indignant Scorpio, glaring daggers of rage at the teal blood.

Terezi only took a step forward, assuming a dominating posture. The blue blood cringed in rare submission, grumbling obscenities and the phrase 'you will pay' alternatively.

"Fine, fine, Pyrope, I'll fucking leave him alone, and I won't cause any damn trouble. Are we good here? I have so many irons in the fire that it is ridiculous, so if you would excuse me, Terezi," said Vriska noncommittally as she rose from the ground and began walking toward the nearby dorms.

"Not so fast, Marquise Spinneret Mindfang, we have a lot to…discuss," said Terezi in a warning voice, telling the Scorpio not to pull any fuckassery. Terezi snatched the fluorite octet up from where they were scattered in the grass, just to be safe. She then pocketed the weapon. The teal-blooded troll grabbed Vriska's sleeve and dragged her toward the duo still lying on the ground.

~O~

The Cancer and the derp heard the metallic resonations of metal on metal as they lay there, not daring to breathe lest they catch the Spider Bitch's eye.

"Egbert, if something happens to Terezi, I'll have to defend us, because that bitch won't stop until blood is spilt, whether it be mine or Terezi's," murmured Karkat to the human. John only tugged Karkat down to where their faces were even closer together. John smelled that same cream cheese, strawberry, and cherry scent from the café. He enjoyed being so close to the Cancer and smelling his sweet aroma, even if in the back of his mind, he knew that it was odd to want to be _this _close to another male. Karkat's sniffnodes picked up cookie dough and vanilla cake. What the hell did he use for cologne, if he even had any? He had no idea, but he liked it a lot. There was just something intoxicating about John's scent.

"No, you are not getting killed by some psycho bitch, not when I just met you, at least," said John, smiling slightly. "I like you too much to just let you go and get your ass killed."

"Very funny, Egderp," retorted the grumpy troll. John let Karkat fall onto his side so that they were now both lying on the ground, facing each other. The Cancer lifted his head and glanced at the fighting trolls when he heard the yells and loud clangs subside. Terezi and Vriska appeared to be coming toward them, the latter being dragged along by the teal blood. Vriska was clearly trying to escape from Terezi's iron grip, but to no avail. Serves a bitch right. He lay his head back down with a muffled thump and he stared at John, who was looking at him anxiously.

Terezi and Vriska stood above the boys, looking them over, Terezi, to see if they were alright, and Vriska, to size them up with malcontent.

"Well hello, Karkles and Mr. Human Derp. I think Vriska has something to say to the both of you. Don't you have something to share with us, _Mindfang_?" Terezi said, glaring at Vriska. The Scorpio jerked her arm in a futile attempt to abscond, but Terezi held her firmly. Her left upper arm still bled, but only a delicate finger of blood leaked from the wound.

The blue blood only hissed some sort of obscenity under her breath and glowered at Karkat with hatred evident in her single cerulean eye.

"I have plenty to say."

* * *

Okay, tell me if anything is wrong or needs revision! Also, tell me what emotions and thoughts this story evokes in you. I love that kind of feedback! :)

Artistic license allows my occasional abuse of the English language, so do not fret, I am not a complete imbecile.


	10. Unnatural Selections of a Cerulean

A/N: Gogdammit, my grammar…sometimes I mean to butcher grammar if I say "serves a bitch right," like in the last chapter. That is a fragment, of course, but that is my artistic license at work. I apologize if there are other mistakes I do not happen to catch that are not purposeful.

Thank you, kaoruhikaruluver, for your feedback once again! You, my ever-loyal and lovely reviewer, flatter me with praise. I like that you are truthful with me too. My grammar needs work, I admit, but I am weeding out those nasty little buttmunchers! I hate to say it, but I enjoyed writing about Vriska's ass getting handed to her by a blind troll. H3H3H3. ;]

Also, AllTheLovelyBrains, your review makes me want to sing! I appreciate your fondness of my style. Terezi is not my patron troll, but she is sure fun to write! I act like her a lot, especially when I laugh. It is more of a cackle than a laugh, really…

Shadowgirl111, I too wish to know what happens next….Even I do not know what monstrosity I am about to dredge up from the depths of my twisted thinkpan. O_o'

aimlessNovelist, oh my! That is hilarious! I am of course referring to your little incident with the supposed 'name stealing'. I laughed aloud when I read your review, but in a good-natured way. I will update soon, and yes, there are more Spider Bitch moments to come. I am touched you read my author's note! :')

RAndOmanimefreak123, you are so kind to me! It is simply too much for me to properly appreciate, darling, too much! Thank you for loving the story and reading up to this point. I hope you continue to read and review!

I was very excited about Zexionienzo's review. I am glad you picked up on the digression from the main plot, for I have plans in the future for some of these side stories. There are key phrases from past chapters foreshadowing future events as well. Let us say…there WILL be plot twists…

So-adorabloodthirsty, you are the reason why I leave off on terribly inconvenient places! Your review, even in its jumbled array of words and phrases, made complete sense, and I loved it. If you do not calm yourself, I will shoosh and pap you into fucking oblivion.

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck, and I do not own Muse's song "Unnatural Selection". I used the song name partially for the chapter title, as you can see.

Woohoo! Onward to the chapter; it awaits your eager eyes. Third person POV!

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Ten:

Unnatural Selections of a Cerulean

"Karkat Vantas, you infinitesimal shit of a troll. I should cull you here and now, but Pyrope is not allowing this to happen any time soon. I of course loath you and your candy-red blood, and I would love to see it splattered on this filthy planet's ground. It sickens me, offends me even. My cerulean blood whispers to me, telling me that you ought to die, you miserable nooksniffing asshole fucker."

There was a ragged intake of breath from the speaker.

"Vantas, you damned mutant, I was flushed for you! I disregarded every warning my blue blood screamed at me, and I began developing those dreadful feelings for you. I wasn't aware of the color of the sludge coursing through your veins at the time, but I knew you were low in the hemospectrum. I just never realized how low it was until now. Even though you were unworthy scum, I took the chance of loving you and your lowly blood, but it looks like that bet didn't pay off. You of course did not understand what an honor it was to have a cerulean blood beauty, such as myself, flushed for you. You're going to pay, mutant," growled Vriska, her voice tainted with malice and mania. Every being present, human and troll, saw the obsession with Karkat laced in her threatening words and written in her cerulean eye. She continued her crazed monologue.

"Just why the hell do you think I blinded Terezi? It was not only to exact revenge on her for that stupid cue ball incident, it was for you, asshole. She always bullshitted about you being her matesprit and I just snapped like Tavros's fucking legs when I made him leap off of that cliff. She finally got what she deserved for stealing you from me." At this point, the teal blood tightened her grip on Vriska and yanked her arm back. The Scorpio repressed a strangled yelp, and she began again.

"I had so many irons in the fire because of you that it hurt my thinkpan. Your nubby-ass horns, your gloriously lewd reactions to my taunting, and your colorful use of obscenities drove me insane. I wanted you more than I should have, Vantas. It was unnatural for me to want you as a matesprit, but your oddly alluring and fucked up personality spun a web of bullshittery and flushed thoughts in my thinkpan. I should have just offed you like Megido," she said, finally finishing her speech and spatting at Terezi's feet like an angry meowbeast. Karkat stood up and then helped John up off the ground. They stood side-by-side, taking the two trolls before them. There was tension thicker than sopor slime in the air, choking any words that had the audacity to spring forth. Words died on the tongues of all four of them before Karkat finally spoke.

"Listen up, Spider Bitch, you know damn well that I never even considered you for a kismesis, let alone a matesprit. You had no right to fucking blind Terezi just because of your sick, twisted jealousy. She's not my matesprit dumbshit! I don't have a fucking matesprit, and I probably never will! Your damn highblood shit doesn't even matter anymore on this planet, for Jegus fucking sakes! You are one sick bitch, Serket," Karkat yelled, glaring at Vriska with a profound hatred. The two, highblood and lowblood, stared each other down, baring their teeth.

The blue blood was about to make a reply to Karkat's outburst when Terezi cleared her chitinous windhole. John only now had a full view of the teal blood that had defended him and Karkat.

Conical horns stuck out of a tangle of mused, shoulder length hair. Her eyes were masked with bright red sunglasses that even Dave would wear proudly and ironically, and her lips were the natural black of all trolls, although they were fuller and more prominent. Her teeth, like Karkat's, were pointy and shark-like in nature. The troll's attire consisted of a long black shirt with a teal symbol that represented the sign of the Libra on Earth and black skinny jeans. She still held her cane in her free hand. Terezi addressed Karkat in a falsely cheerful voice.

"Karkles, you and your tasty smelling human should go back to your multi-block hive. I will deal with Vriska. We have some 'irons in the fire' to sort out. Smell you later!" said the troll, turning to drag the Spider Bitch back to their dorm. Of all of the other living organisms on this planet, they just had to be chosen to room together, did they not?

"Damn you to fucking hell, Karkat Vantas," mumbled Vriska as she was towed away by the Libra.

"I'll meet you there, Serket," Karkat said, not quite loud enough for her to hear.

~O~

Karkat sighed as he fell face-first onto his bed. It was only around two o'clock in the afternoon, but he was tired as fuck after almost dying by the hand of Spider Bitch. He arched his back and extended his arms out above his head, resembling a stretching cat. His eyes were slowly loosing focus and his thoughts became hazy, burdened with lack of sleep, but suddenly, he felt something drop onto the bed next to him. The once empty stretch of bed dipped with the new weight, making Karkat roll over into whatever the hell it was. The troll felt a warm body pressed against his side through his clothes.

"Egbert, get the FUCK off of my bed," said the Cancer in annoyance.

"No, too comfy," was the reply.

The nubby-horned troll growled at this half-assed response and he flipped onto his side to face the intruder.

"Hey, Karkat!" said John in greeting. He giggled at Karkat's expression of distaste. It was so cute! John's smile faltered at the thought. _Cute? Brain, are you okay up there? He is not cute, dammit. He is just adorabloodthirsty in a _friendly_ kind of way._

"Egbert, what did I just fucking say? Did my words not breach that thick cranial wall protecting your so-called thinkpan? If not, let me reiterate my displeasure at your presence beside me; get the fucking hell off of my bed, dumpass!"

"But, Kaaaaaaaar!"

"Egbert!"

"I'm not moving."

"I'm going to count to three, and if you are not gone, so help me I will cull you and eviscerate your putrid carcass with my trusty sickles."

"Not going to happen, buddy. You like me too much to do that."

"One."

"Hehe. You wouldn't."

"Two."

"Nope, I am not going anywhere."

"Thr—ugh, fine! Do whatever the hell you want, damn you!"

John looked into Karkat's blood-red eyes, a twinkle of mischief present. "Anything I want?" he whispered.

The human snaked his arm around Karkat's waist and drew his body toward the troll's. John held him protectively. He just…held him there. He felt so secure in the derp's arms.

Karkat froze, unsure of what to do. The Cancer, after a moment of debating whether or not to stab John or hurl him out of a window, decided to just lay there and accept the welcoming embrace. It felt nice to be hugged. It felt nice not to scream or curse. It felt nice to feel wanted. Not even Gamzee had held him in such an endearing, protective way.

Karkat rather enjoyed this hug, but not because it was _Egbert _or anything.

"Just this once, Egderp," Karkat said. His tone had softened, along with his heart.

"I'll take that," replied John in a hushed voice.

A comfortable silence ensued. Karkat relaxed into John's arms, and he sighed in a contented manner.

They lay like that for the better part of an hour before John decided to say something, finally revealing his concerns for his new friend. After having time to mull over what he was going to say, he plucked up a copious amount of courage and spoke.

"Karkat? What's wrong with red blood? Vriska said red blood is like a mutation for trolls or something. All humans have it, so why is it wrong? Should we be killed for it too? What the hell was up with Terezi's blood? Is having different colored blood a bad thing?" asked John, bursting with curiosity after having thought over everything that transpired between Terezi, Vriska, and Karkat.

Karkat looked into John's concerned eyes, believing that this human cared for him. He could see the wonder and curiosity buried there among the worry as well. If he told him, what would the derp think of him? Surely Karkat had nothing to lose in telling him his secret, which really was not a secret anymore. Whether he was hated or accepted, he did _not care_. Or did he?

"As you fucking well know, I have candy-red blood. My species has more than just one blood color, though. There are twelve possible colors, but I'm not about to explain all that shit. The hemospectrum, used to classify trolls and place them into a caste system, judges troll by blood color. For instance, Vriska is a fucking cerulean blood, or just a blue blood if you fucking prefer. Vriska counts as one of the high class trolls. She is higher in the hemospectrum than Terezi, who is a teal blood and is a part of the middle class of trolls. She is just shy of nobility. Feferi is a fuchsia blood, or a royal. She is to be the empress of Alternia and all the worlds it rules, and is considered the highest blood possible, whereas I am not even on the hemospectrum. I am seen as a damn mutant that shouldn't even fucking exist. I am disgusting wretch, Egbert." Karkat said, attempting to explain how troll society functioned and how he wasn't even a part of it. It was an understatement to say that Karkat despised himself for something he could not possibly help. Blood is blood, and until you bleed, no one knows your true color.

"But you're not some disgusting creature, Kar! Blood color does not mean you are a horrible troll at all. You're hilarious and grumpy and just plain fun to hang out with. None of the other trolls seem to care about blood other than Vriska, so I don't see the problem. I don't give a damn about it, that's for sure. Is blood color what was bothering you this entire time?" said John in incredulity.

"Well, I guess you could say that," answered the red blood in shame. Vriska really was the only one thus far that even acknowledged his mutation.

"I'm sorry, but that is the stupidest shit I have ever heard, and I will have none of it. If you're so worked up over this blood color malarkey, you just need to calm the fuck down and relax a bit. Let's have some fun or let's talk about what you're dealing with, Karkles," John said playfully, using Terezi's nickname for the troll.

"Oh, fuck no, we are not having a fucking feelings jam laying on a bed together, cuddling like it's going out of fucking style," the Cancer responded. He hesitated slightly before his next line, his face tinting a rosy hue. It was fucking embarrassing. "Could we watch movies or something? I have some of my old romcoms from Alternia, but I have never seen a fucking human romcom. Can we watch one from Earth? I am curious as to how utterly tasteless and idiotic they are."

John beamed happily, showing his buckteeth to the world. He loved movies. He preferred a Nicolas Cage film, like _Con Air_, but he would oblige his alien buddy.

"Yeah, I'd love to."

"Great. You pick it. Just don't get a shitty one," said Karkat as he sat up. John hesitantly retracted his arms from Karkat's body. He was a very huggable guy. He meant this in a friendly way, of course.

John slowly got off of Karkat's bed and shuffled over to his and Karkat's shared bookshelf, which was filled with movies and novels alike. He browsed the selections eagerly as Karkat watched. Karkat noted his enthusiasm when he was searching for the perfect film. As the troll looked on, he saw that John's shirt had ridden up, exposing the hem of his jeans and a few inches of pale, smooth skin. He looked away, embarrassed to have been examining the derpy human so closely. It was pure, innocent curiosity. That was all. It was all there was and ever will be.

"What would he like?" mumbled John as he nibbled his lip in thought. He skipped past the shelf devoted to action films with Nic Cage in them. Instead, he scoured his shelf of romantic comedies and dramas until his eyes lighted upon the perfect movie. The boy turned to the awaiting troll, who was lounging on his bed lazily. Said troll looked at the movie John had in his hand, and then his eyes flicked back to the human's face in interest.

"I found the one just for you, Karkat."

* * *

So, what do y'all think? Is it getting better? I apologize for any OOC characters, but it had to go down this way. :P

I am curious as to how keen my readers are when it comes to my foreshadowing. I will hold a little competition of sorts. Whoever lists the most examples of foreshadowing from the existing chapters (such as key sentences or phrases) in their reviews will receive a one-shot of any rating and of any pairing of trolls or humans they want (just the twelve post-scratch trolls and the beta kids). It can be customized to your…tastes. ;] The mini-competition will last from September 23 to September 27. If I have any other chapters up before that deadline, then you may use any material from those as well. Just list in incomplete sentences if the entire sentence is too fucking long. Good-day/night to you all!

P.S. AT LEAST TRY.


	11. In Askance of Morals

A/N: Well, my people, I am up and writing (when I should be finishing my speech on how the band Muse has evolved its style over the years, mind you)! The beginning to this chapter is so anticlimactic that I laughed.

Oh, maihyuga do not give up! It is not over until the obese, borderline gelatinous, female sings. Well, actually, the deadline is up, so it really IS over….

Woohoo! I love your reviews kaoruhikaruluver; they make my day! I get all the feels when you review on my story. All of them. I like that you caught that little snippet of creativity in me when you pointed out the part where Vriska explains why she blinded Terezi. H3H3H3, funny story, I _usually _(not this time) update around midnight or later, so I know how you feel. Also, I love replying to you! ^^ Your reviews are so helpful!

So-adorabloodthirsty, you are anything BUT a bad reviewer! You are an awesome reviewer in my opinion. ;D Surprisingly enough, I have not gotten a Tumblr, but I want one. I browse the site occasionally. I am very good at deciphering gibberish, for I have taken several years of study under my sensei and best friend. She speaks and writes in nonsense quite fluently. I am impressed with your own version of gibberish; it is beautifully typed in a random-ass way.

Okay, I have an apology to make to all of the guest reviewers who have reviewed up to this point! I accidently did something weird with the review filter thing-a-majig, and I did not get an email about those guest reviews. Lemonsnout (guest), I appreciate your input, and I am currently seeking a beta, so those bothersome little snags here and there should be weeded out. I look forward to your opinions of my writing. :B

Midori! 3 I miss you! Everyone, AbbiMei, otherwise known as Midori to me, is one of my best friends! I recently got her to start Homestuck, and now she is reading my fanfiction. I totally got her to ship JohnKat. I hope you continue to enjoy it, motherfucking best friend! :D

I am delighted that you appreciate my writing style, Marilynjayfreak! I was unaware that my cliffhangers were actually considered to be good. O.O' Thank you for reassuring my uneasiness!

Ha, Zexionienzo, I chuckled when I read your review. Your 'messed up' review actually went hand-in-hand with the chapter in my opinion. Thank you for reviewing anyway! :D

randomDSluser (guest), you silly, silly reviewer, you! Of course I will continue to leave y'all with my evil cliffhangers! :] I love keeping people on edge, it is my job! I do feel like a douche when I do it though…

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck. Andrew Hussie "The Huss" does.

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Eleven:

In Askance of Morals

The room reeked of popcorn and fresh tears when the credits to _Letters to Juliet_ came cascading down the screen. Small white characters that one had to squint at in order to read properly danced down the television screen and disappeared. By now it was six in the evening; prime time for watching movies.

Karkat was curled up on his bed, much like a cat, and was watching the credits stream across his vision as tears welled in his crimson eyes. The diluted red drops slowly rolled down the Cancer's cheeks, leaving minute trails of red in their wake.

John had maneuvered himself to where Karkat's head was in his lap, and he was reclining back against the wall that the bed pushed up against. John was a bit flustered by the unusual position, but he allowed the red blood to claim his lap for a headrest anyway. Pillows surrounded the troll in a sort of fort-like structure, and he looked to be swallowed up by the large grey blanket he was nestled in. An empty bowl that was once filled with buttery popcorn goodness was lying there, emptied and forgotten by the two boys. The only reason that this arrangement was acceptable to Karkat was that he loved this human movie, and by God, he was going to be comfortable when he sobbed over a romcom, dammit!

"T-that was so fucking sad when she told him to go b-back to that bitch Patricia, but then he told her that she was his c-cousin! Then he said he loved Sophie…" mumbled Karkat, who was still enraptured by the movie. It was actually not so much a romcom as it was a romantic drama, but it was still amazing. He had really liked it, to say the very least. He buried his face in the blanket to wipe the remains of dried tears from his face. Romcoms are fucking awesome, and this particular one was pretty damn sad, yet happy at the same time. Of course the troll was going to shed a tear or two here and there.

John grabbed the remote lying beside him, and he turned off the television. The derp then stretched out his hand and lightly patted Karkat's unruly hair.

"There, there, Kar, they found love in the end," John said teasingly.

"Shut the fuck up," came the mumbled reply. Karkat curled up into an even tighter ball and he sighed in contentment. The ball of Karkat began to make a sort of light humming noise.

John began to caress the bases of Karkat's nubby horns absently, and he failed to notice the strangled moaning that appeared to be coming from a certain Cancer. Karkat shifted his position on John's lap and squirmed in pleasure. John's hand slowly began massaging the tips of the troll's horns. A husky, borderline desperate-sounding moan escaped Karkat's lips, and John finally took notice of Karkat, who was now a little more than slightly aroused by the horn-fondling. A purr rumbled from deep within Karkat's chest, causing vibrations that wracked the small troll's body. Clawed hands clench the blanket that was now crumpled into large wad of grey fabric.

"Uh, K-Karkat? What the hell is wrong with you?" asked John in slight distress as he took his hand away from Karkat's horn. Derp McDerpin is unaware that trolls' horns are very sensitive and sensual parts of their anatomy. The Cancer was practically being molested.

"Dammit, John! Y-you were fondling my horns! Those are fucking sensitive, douche wad. Do not fucking touch them again!" growled Karkat in a voice thick with arousal. The pissed-off troll lurched off of John's lap and onto the floor. He stood up shakily and stumbled into the bathroom to 'calm down'. He slammed the door shut behind him. John sat on the bed in silence, stunned at what had just occurred. Had he really just been fondling Karkat's horns and doing something considered highly sexual by trolls? Yes, yes he had.

John winced. "I'm not a damn homosexual. That was just an accident," he muttered to himself noncommittally. He got up, head hung in apology, and he strode toward the bathroom door. He parted his lips and was about to utter the first words of a useless apology when he heard peculiar sounds emanating from the bathroom.

"Ngggh….ahh, shit! Nyaaa….Goddamn it. Fu- ungh, oh, unnh," cried a throaty voice. Karkat continued to murmur obscenities and make the occasional unintelligible noise until one last strangled cry was heard. All was quiet then.

The derp listening outside the door left skid marks on the hardwood floor as he practically sprinted back into his and Karkat's shared abode, blushing furiously. That was a traumatizing experience that John never wished to relive.

_I wonder if trolls have…oh, God, no! Dammit, brain, you little fucker. _ Thought John, who endeavored to rid his mind of those sinful contemplations. _I am straight!_

John changed into his funky blue pajamas at the speed of light, and he then busied himself with putting the popcorn bowl in its proper place in the miniscule kitchenette, which was out near the front door of the dorm room. He straightened out the blanket and placed the pillows back where they belonged. John then plopped down onto the bed and lay down again. The ceiling appeared to have those bizarre little spots that people took to counting when there was nothing productive to do.

One.

Two.

Oh, look, a spider.

Maybe I should kill it.

Three.

Four.

Fi-

"Egbert?" Karkat whispered. The troll stood in the doorway to the room, hugging himself and staring at his feet in shame. His clothes were wrinkled and disorderly on his lithe frame. The troll's hair was just as disheveled as his garments and his face was flushed with a brilliant crimson.

John smiled gently. The derp got up off of the bed and stood up. He kept a distance from the moody Cancer so as not rouse his fury, or his bone bulge for that matter.

"I…that was…that was fucking stupid, Egderp," said Karkat in a hushed tone. The troll looked up at him and bit his lip. He was blushing a radiant red that highlighted his picturesque eyes. Those eyes were a whole other world that one could loose himself in, and at the present moment, John was not trying to find his way out.

"I'm sorry, Kar. I didn't mean to try to, like, fondle you in a romantic troll way or anything. I didn't know it would do…_that _to you," said John awkwardly. Karkat stared into the human's cobalt eyes, searching for something. Was it disgust, hate, or curiosity that he looked for? Any of those could be present there, but what the red blood did not see was the care hidden there. There was tender affection in the veiled depths of blue. That color Karkat so wished he had flowing through his veins was right there, taunting him. That color he envied was there, staring him in the fucking face. The troll paid no heed to the sneering hue; however, he instead focused on the feelings, on the emotions that John was so freely expressing. Karkat hated that John seemed so damn carefree and open all the time. It was fucking annoying as shit.

"Egbert, let's just forget that happened, okay?" said Karkat as he stepped into the room. The Cancer broke the brief connection they had had by looking away again.

"Alright, Kar, if that's what you want," replied John. The boy looked at Karkat for a moment longer before reluctantly walking to the bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower," John called over his shoulder.

"Okay, Egderp," answered the Cancer, already rummaging through his large messenger bag for something. He quickly found the item he had been in search of, and he set it down on his bed.

Karkat opened his husktop. He accessed his Trollian account and switched his status from offline to online. That little shit, twinArmageddons, appeared to be online as well. Karkat was still debating whether this was a good or bad thing when he heard a small 'dinging' sound, indicating that he had a new message.

**-** **twinArmageddons** [TA] **began trolling** **carcinoGeneticist** [CG] **-**

TA: hey KK, are you there?

CG: HEY SOLLUX. WHERE IN THE TAINT CHAFFING HELL ARE YOU?

TA: ii'm iin room 2 iin the Doom dorm. Geez, diid you mii22 me, KK?

CG: I'M IN ROOM 612 IN THE PROSPIT DORM, IN CASE YOU WANT TO DROP BY. I DID NOT FUCKING MISS YOU, I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF ANY OF YOU GRUBFUCKERS DIED ON ME WHILE WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO THIS GOD AWFUL SHIT OF A PLANET.

TA: you diid mii22 me then. ii mii22ed you two. ii'll 2top by iin a liittle whiile.

CG: WHATEVER DOUCHEBAG, JUST HURRY THE FUCK UP.

TA: okay, KK, ii'll be there iin a few miinute2.

CG: SEE YOU LATER.

CG: DON'T YOU DARE USE YOUR FUCKING PSIONIC SHIT OR WHATEVER TO BREAK IN.

CG: I SWEAR TO JEGUS I WILL RAGE-SPLODE AND DESTROY THE ENTIRE FUCKING UNIVERSE IN THE PROCESS OF BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF YOU.

**-** **carcinoGeneticist** [CG] **ceased** **trolling** **twinArmageddons** [TA] **-**

Karkat closed the Trollian window and snapped his husktop shut. The Cancer sat there for a fleeting moment, just staring at the wall, wondering if he was happy that Sollux was going to come visit him _willingly_. Why the hell was he doing that?

The troll shook his head to clear his thinkpan, got up from his bed, and placed his husktop back into his bag. Just as he finished this task, John, clad in his blue pajamas, returned from his shower. He grinned shyly and walked over to his bed.

"So, what do you wanna do now, Karkat?" asked John as he leapt onto the mattress. He somersaulted clumsily, fell off of the bed, and flailed around hilariously. Karkat snorted at the sight of the human sprawled across the floor in dazed confusion.

"What the hell is there to do around here?" said Karkat, who was still very amused by the derp's little stunt.

John sat up, and furrowed his brow in thought. Then, as if he had been struck by a sudden epiphany, John's eyes lit with glee. "How about a game?"

~O~

There seems to be a peculiar shift in the inner workings of the universe that the reader should feel in the depths of their vascular pumps and souls. Karkat and John no longer feel an unnerving presence in the room with them, hovering over them at every turn, but now a certain Gemini does. This odd presence appears to be watching our dear Gemini here, observing his every move in its entirety. The nameless figure is thoroughly creeped the fuck out by this careful scrutiny.

A sudden transition from silly banter with the Cancer and the derp to this mysterious person is in order.

We will now follow this figure like Grade-A creeps as he embarks on a completely absurd quest to do whatever the hell it is he wants to do. Right now, that quest is to visit a friend.

Our new focus in the story exits his dorm room and saunters down the hallway, still wary of the newfound presence that envelops him.

It was around seven o'clock or so, and no one was about. The Gemini makes his way down the corridor and leaves the dorm building. He breathes in the crisp night air and sighs in contentment, for he loves the cool climate of this planet. It is much more tolerable than Alternia's heat in his opinion. The cresent moon, in all of its pale, glowing glory, casts an ethereal light on the Gemini's surroundings, blanketing the night in moonlit beauty. The majestic aspen and birch trees lining his path were drenched in the moon's light. The Gemini looks up into the vault of the heavens and sees pinpricks of silvery, cold light adorning the black veil of night.

If only he had someone to share this with...

The yet-to-be-named Gemini walks along one of the many long, meandering dirt trails leading to the West Campus. Since he memorized the map of the campus, he knew the location of his destination. It was not far, but it consumed the better part of a few minutes to get there. It just so happened that he was now standing right outside of the Prospit Dorm, which was in fact, his destination. He was a fast walker.

He enters the dorm and finds his way to room 612. The Gemini hesitates at the door, for heard loud swearing and disconcerting sounds emanating from the room's interior.

"Egderp, you asshole! That does _not_ go there!" came a frustrated voice. Our Gemini knew that voice all too well.

"Of course it goes there, Karkat, that's how it's supposed to move."

"Don't touch that, or I will end you."

"Too bad, Karkles. You're mine now!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Well, is that supposed to go there, then?"

"No, just slide it over here. Yeah, right there. That's good. No, wait, stop moving it like that! Here let me help."

"No way! Get your hand away from it! Stop, dumbshit, I got this."

"Can you handle it, Kar?"

A groan of frustration was heard.

"I cannot believe I allowed you to talk me into this bullshittery."

"How ever could you resist such _tempting_ human activities?"

Another unsettling growl did not go unheard by the Gemini.

"Just shut the fucking hell up and move already! I am getting very impatient with this."

"Make me."

"Oh, I sure as hell will!"

There was a loud thump and a moan.

"Fuck you, Egderp."

"We aren't to _that _stage quite yet, Karkat."

At this point, the Gemini was thoroughly disgusted with what he perceived was going on in there, and he decided to knock. He hoped desperately that they had their clothes on.

Several obscenities and thumps later, a cheerful voice calls to him.

"I'll be there in a minute!"

The mysterious Gemini, who is confused out of his thinkpan, waits. He taps his foot impatiently and glances around the deserted hallway. There was another loud, obscene exchange between the two males in the dorm room, then there was a moment of silence that was short-lived.

The door creaks slowly open to reveal a grinning bucktoothed human.

"Hi there! You need something?"

"Hello, human. Ith KK in there? If he ith, tell him Thollukth Captor ith here to thee him."

* * *

Well, I finally introduced my patron troll! I am sorry about Sollux's confusing speech, but he does speak with a lisp, so that is why it is all messed up. I suck at writing lisps! Also, I do not watch a lot of Romcoms, so I just chose something that seemed appropriate. Thank y'all for reading! :3


	12. Condescension Among Us

A/N: Since last chapter contributed absolutely nothing to the plot, here is another chapter! I decided to update WAY earlier than planned since I have a shitload of things to complete for school! :D

H3H3H3. RAndOmanimefreak123, I knew y'all would love the awkwardness of this suggestive conversation. I thought to myself, 'should I…..I should!'. Also, I do not know too much about how Sollux's lisp works, as I do not have a lisp myself, and I do not know how to type a lisp exactly…Thank you for your lovely review though. ;)

Aw, Midori! I appreciate your enthusiastic approval of chapters six and eleven! I cannot express my gratitude in written words how much it means to me that you are enduring this silly story, however odd and stupidly fluffy it may be. 3 :3 You are like my moirail (well, kind of, I may have several moirails, even though that is impossible, for it takes many people to calm me the fuck down). Alas, I will do more Karkat POV later, so do not fret! :B

Are my cliffhangers really that good, Marilynjayfreak? I thought they were a bit moronic on my part, but your compliments stay my wretched vascular pump's palpitations. I will of course write more of those pesky little fuckers.

Trust me, so-adorabloodthirsty, I loved writing about the horn touching. I think more horn-fondling will come later if you catch my drift. ;] Yet again, I am tremendously impressed by your use of Gibberish in your fabulous review. It clearly displays your fondness for the chapter. Many thanks to you, kind reader!

Ah, yes, perception, my darling Zexionienzo, is a powerful thing. Dear Sollux appears to be a victim of it. I almost feel a twinge of pity for this new burden he must carry, but in this chapter, he will be relieved of such afflictions. :)

AllTheLovelyBrains, have I ever told YOU that I love you? Well, now I have! :B I am so very pleased that you liked the shift in focus from John and Karkitty to Sollux. I rather liked writing that part; it was a nice change-up from the old routine. I hope that I continue to make you laugh uncontrollably as the story continues!

Kaoruhikaruluver, you make my day when you review! I sit here in darkness, ready to poke MY head up for your reviews! I myself enjoyed Sollux's part in this. There will be more of him later, H3H3H3. I love you! I feel like a good author when you praise me! I am such a spoiled writer. ;3 Please continue to read and review, my lovely.

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck. If you think I do, you, my sick friends, are delusional.

Now, let us delve into a magical world filled with Karkat, John, Sollux, and a certain little spy. Oh yes, my children, new plot twists that go beyond the reaches of the sweet tendrils of romance will develop. Be prepared.

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Twelve:

Condescension Amongst Us

"Hey, Karkat! A Sollux Captor is here to see you!" yelled John in an obnoxiously upbeat voice. The derp turned back to the waiting troll and giggled in a downright unmanly way when he heard Karkat retort faintly with an 'I'll be right fucking there!' to his call. In all seriousness, John's Mangrit was at an all time low.

"Sollux?" queried the Cancer as he came up from behind John, who was still standing in the doorway. John looked over the aforementioned 'Sollux'.

This 'Sollux' in question was only slightly taller than the diminutive Cancer. As the human examined this new figure a bit further, he gathered that his blood is of yellow hue, and the emblem on his shirt clearly represented the zodiac sign of the esteemed Gemini. The troll's black hair was cropped short, and spiked in the back. His horns were quite intriguing to John, for Sollux had two sets of horns, one pair smaller than the other, instead of the one.

Sollux grinned at this close scrutiny, and his sharp incisors protruded slightly. There were two sets of fangs as well, the shorter set on the inside like the horns. Glasses resembling the 3D pairs found at Earth's movie theatres, although the trolls had no idea what those were, concealed the Gemini's eyes. John thought for a brief moment that he could see distant galaxies, in all their celestial splendor, dancing in those red and blue lenses.

"Hey, KK, good to thee you again. I think you grew a little. Tho, who might thith human be, hm?" said Sollux, briefly looking John over and then returning his gaze to Karkat.

"This is my annoying-as-fuck blockmate, John Egbert," Karkat said, thumping the abovementioned derp on the head.

"Karkat! What the hell was that for?" John said in a whiny voice. He rubbed his cranium and glowered at Karkat.

Sollux watched this little spectacle amusedly. "I thee you've trained your human well, KK."

Karkat snorted and shoved John out of the way so as to allow Sollux to enter. "I sure as hell have. Now come on in nookstain, before I think twice about sparing you some of my precious time. I am fucking busy."

"You're definitely the KK I remember."

"And why the fuck wouldn't I be?"

Karkat, Sollux, and John entered the dorm room and made their way to the sort of 'living room' section of the place. There was a miniscule television that was admittedly a piece of shit and did not even work. In addition to the useless television, there was a shitty recliner with holes in the upholstery, and a small love seat that was probably infested with spiders and God-knows-what-the-fuck-else. As for the carpeting, well, let us put it this way: Karkat and John never walked on it without socks or shoes on for fear of what sorts of deadly diseases and parasites lay in wait amid the various stains and splotches adorning the flooring. In short, it was a cesspool of shitfuck crap compared to the relatively clean kitchenette, bathroom, and bedroom.

John plopped down on the left side of the love seat, causing a grey miasma of dust and filth to burst from the cushion, while Sollux made a beeline for the recliner. Of course Karkat would be stuck sitting next to John. Damn it all to fuck.

The Cancer reluctantly sat down beside John and scooted as far as he can to the right to avoid touching the derp. The love seat is barely able to accommodate two people, so the troll had virtually no room to maneuver. Squirming away was futile.

Sollux immediately locked eyes with Karkat when they were all seated.

"Your color…"

"Yes, I fucking KNOW, Sollux, I'm a Goddamn mutant who isn't worth two shits, let alone one measly shit. You don't have to tell me how miserably useless my mewling, disgusting being is. Feferi and Gamzee didn't seem to even notice, and Kanaya doesn't give a flying fuck. Terezi can't see the change, but she can probably smell it or some shit like that. She's fucking weird. Anyway, I alrea-"

"Dammit, KK, thut the fucking hell up for one damn thecond! I wathn't even going to go into all of thith shit with you. It ith jutht…after all thothe yearth of hiding it, I finally know why you've been tho careful about your blood," there was a pause. Sollux seemed to making up his mind about something. That something had to be said, or major consequences in the future could wreak havoc on all involved in this issue.

"How did you path the blood samplth required to board the ship?" asked Sollux after a moment of thought. He had boarded the Earth-bound ship without hassle, but he had a common blood color. If anyone had seen Karkat's true color, he would have been culled immediately, no question. How the hell did he pass that damn test?

Karkat bit his lip and looked away from the Gemini. "I passed off as a lime blood, okay? I…There was a lime blood…among the heap of culled wrigglers that Gamzee used for painting his fucking asshat clown pictures. It was only a few days before we were to board the ship, and I was flipping a colossal shit like it was going out of fucking style, so I just…took a vile-full of it and presented it to the inspector. He gave me the green light to get on the damn ship. He never questioned _where _I got it, so I passed. Besides, it made sense, since our group had every other color on the fucking hemospectrum. Lime was the only color missing from the otherwise complete set. Those careless assholes bought it, and they let me through."

"KK…"

Karkat merely grumbled in irritation and glared at the floor.

A long period of silence saturated the atmosphere with tension and uneasiness. A crackle of nervousness and a spark of disquiet flickered in wordless fidgeting among the three boys.

After an impossibly lengthy ten minutes elapsed with no more words yet spoken, the Gemini cleared his throat and addressed the agitated Cancer.

"KK, do you…know of our ancethtorth? Do you know anything pertaining to yourth in particular?" Sollux queried, his voice strained. The Gemini shifted in his seat, and his hand slowly crept toward his neck. He grasped something through his shirt, maybe a pendant of some sort, but neither Karkat nor John could tell what this peculiar body language entailed.

"I am aware of our fucking 'ancethtorth' but I only have bits and pieces of memories. It's like I get these weird-ass visions of him, the Sufferer, or rather the Signless. I see him preaching to a clusterfuck of lowbloods and highbloods alike. He had this inner circle of trusted followers, including your ancestor, the Ψiioniic."

"Ah yeth, the Helmthman of the Condethce's battleship," added Sollux with disdain evident in his voice. The Condesce was undoubtedly the hugest bitch in the known and unknown galaxies. She's the whole fucking reason Alternia went to shit. Karkat of course would never admit this aloud, but he thought that Earth might be a better bet for their survival than that forsaken planet.

"I don't know all that much about him, besides that he is a mutant, like myself, and he is executed for his 'blasphemous preachings' about equality. His matesprit was Nepeta's ancestor. I think she was known as the Disciple or some shit. That's about all I know for certain about the snarky douche."

"That thounds about right. There ith definitely more to it, but that will come later."

"I am so fucking out of the loop, it's not even funny. So what the hell does this have to do with anything? I just fucking got here yesterday, and I am tired as fuck, so we can deal with this steaming pile of shittery at a later date," Karkat said in irritation. The rude red blood yawned loudly, allowing his mouth to gape open wide.

"KK, thith ith important. You'll find out eventually, but it ith better to know _now_," Sollux said, stress apparent in his tone of voice. Of course Karkat blatantly ignored the ominous undertone.

"Sollux, get the fuck out. I need sleep, and I don't need more bullshit on my thinkpan. Good-fucking-night."

The Gemini stood from his seat and glared at the Cancer. Karkat rose to meet Sollux's eyes, his body language clearly stating: "Leave right the fuck now, or I will thrust my sickle through your abdomen, rip your nutrition sack from your corpse, and use it for my new shitty messenger bag."

"Fine, KK, but we will thpeak of thith later. If I don't tell you, someone elthe will. Goodnight."

Sollux turned on his heel and walked briskly out of the dorm room. There was a pause in the echoing footsteps in the hall. The troll poked his head around the still open door of the dorm room.

"And KK? Be careful. Don't fuck up anything."

John still sat on the love seat, wordlessly watching. His pure cobalt eyes were wide as half-dollars.

"Kar-" protested the derp, wanting to hear what the Gemini had to say.

"Will do, Captor."

That was the last time that night that the boys would be disturbed. All was quiet. For now.

~O~

A lone Scorpio, after finally escaping her archenemy, the Libra, paces in her dorm room, which is devoid of any other trolls and humans. With no blockmate, there is no one to interfere with her nefarious doings and cornucopia of irons in the fire.

There were certain 'developments' to be reported.

A small, sleek communication device is in her clawed hand, glinting in the dim light filtering in through the window. The Scorpio smirks in malicious contempt and presses a small fuchsia button. She brings the device to her ear.

"Yes, my spy?" asks a smooth, oily voice dripping with condescension. A dangerous undercurrent was sewn carefully in those three words, infiltrating every seemingly safe place in the Scorpio's thinkpan. No secrets are safe. Even the troll's last sanctuary, her mind, is invaded by foreign probes.

"I will fill you in when I have more information, but know this, my Queen: Some of us are not what we seem. _His _ vengeance is upon Her Imperious Condescension."

"Well, this is an...interesting development. Continue your faithful surveillance, spy. Confirm your suspicions, and report to me once more."

"Yes, my Queen, in due time."

She presses the button again, severing the connection.

He will pay.

* * *

Brownie points are rewarded to those who find my little pun on Sollux's bees.


	13. Requiem of a Summer Gone By

A/N: First of all, I appreciate the views, favorites, follows, and reviews greatly! Also, I apologize for my lack of updates. I have been extremely busy and frazzled!

Ah, another refreshing review from dear, sweet AllTheLovelyBrains! Oh, how I am grateful of your liking of my digression to the trolls' history. Also, bitchy Vriskas are entertaining to write! I hate myself a little more for betraying Karkat, but the story must progress plot-wise. ALL her quadrants you say? All of them? O_o' Good luck.

Midori (as a Guest)! I am so happy that you liked my update! Thank you for your lavish praise and your extravagant compliments. Rose will grace our presence later, but for now, the other trolls must be introduced. ;]

I am hunkered down in the dark recesses of my pillow fort playing 52-pickup as we speak (or as I type). Of course, kaoruhikaruluver, I most definitely will reveal Sollux's little secret, but not in this update! :D Oh my! More spoiling? I am wallowing in an excess of your glorious compliments already! Methinks I will continue my rigorous updating to sate my voracious readers. ;3

Dear Zexionienzo, I feel that I must say unto you something of the utmost importance. AHHHHHHHH, SUCH AN AWESOME REVIEWER. FUCK.

My eyes are tearing up from all of the love radiating from Marilynjayfreak's review! :'D Your favorite fanfiction for Homestuck?! I am so very flattered by your sincere approval of my writing. My dear reader, you are too good to me, a mediocre author.

Randomstrike, a sober Gamzee would destroy me, wiping me from existence for writing this 'blasphemous' shit. Although the risk is high, I may actually put my life on the line and allow a sober Gamzee to make an appearance. I also appreciate your various other reviews pertaining to past chapters and the more recent ones also! :)

You caught that, did you, MapleSunflower? H3H3H3, oh Sollux and his bees…

RAndOmanimefreak123, I too am glad that I do not have a lisp. It seems you got that stupid little pun I made as well! Thank you for the approval of those annoying cliffhangers I am so fond of leaving. :3

Disclaimer: Altogether now: 'I do not own Homestuck!'

John's point of view! :B

Before we get this going, please pray for my friend who is having surgery on his hip. If you are not religious, then keep him in your thoughts, please. I would greatly welcome this act of kindness. On with the story, dearies.

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Thirteen:

Requiem of a Summer Gone By

I feel the thick layer of blissful slumber being peeled from my supine body as a faint, muffled buzzing reaches my ears. I open my eyes a bit, squinting against a pinprick of dim light on my desk. It's my phone. The alarm is going off. That means-

Oh damn it all.

"Karkat! School starts today!" I yell, half panicked, half excited. I still have to organize all of my stupid supplies. By 'organize', I mean 'throw all my school shit into a huge pile and not touch it for the rest of the year'. I leap out of bed and glance around quickly, trying to locate everything I will need today. I quickly turn off the alarm, and then I strip out of my pajama pants and my nightshirt, tossing them onto my unmade bed. Donning nothing more than my blue boxers, I stumble across the room to retrieve my glasses. I am, like, legally blind without them.

Once I jam them onto my face hurriedly, I grab the nearest pillow and fling it mercilessly at Karkat, who is currently assuming the form of a curled up ball of sassy troll and blankets. He is so peaceful and quiet when he's sleeping…too bad I have to wake him up and suffer through a shitstorm of obscene gestures, furious yelling, and exaggerated flailing of the limbs.

"What the hell? Dammit, John, I am trying to sleep! I do not need a face full of fucking pillow right the fuck now! I swear to God, I will barf a fucking rage snake of regurgitated slime in your face to suffocate you if you do not leave me alone!" Karkat shouts once he was fully aware of what I had just done.

"School is TODAY! Get the hell up, Karkat, or we'll miss class," I say, rummaging through the closet for a decent shirt and a pair of jeans. Damn, it is cramped in here, and it smells like a dumpster.

Wait, Karkat said-

"Wait, you actually called me by my first name," I state, shock written on my face as I turn to face him.

"I-I did. Well, I guess you just scaled up your fucking Echeladder to Shitface-Skytard. Congratulations, idiot. Anyway, I suppose it just slipped out. Don't get your human undergarments in a twist; I'll be back to calling you offending names in no time."

"No, no, I like it when you call me by my first name. I feel as if I'm not a piece of shit lying out on the sidewalk in the noonday sun that you happened to step on. Just call me John, okay?" I say, hoping he indulges my request. I prefer Karkat to call me something more personal than just _Egbert_ or _Egderp_, but I guess the nickname Egderp seems to be endearing in a twisted, warped sort of way.

"Bluh, bluh. Fine. Whatever. Anyway, must we attend these Godforsaken human classes? I already know pretty much every damn thing in the universe, so there would be no fucking point," comes the annoyed reply with an arrogant undertone.

"Yes, we have to, stupid. Get up, and get ready so we can meet the others before the bell," I say, selecting a short-sleeved blue shirt with a white swirly dealie thing on it and a pair of black jeans with an unfortunate rip in one leg. I then slip on the clothes, and go to gather my books for class that were littering my desk.

"The bell? Oh, yes, that maddening little device that signals the end of these 'classes'. I loath their very existence, kind of like yours. Well, I might as well follow your lead, Mister Moronic Douchenozzle McBatshit."

The troll reluctantly wriggles out of his cocoon of blankets, and he gets out of bed. Karkat walks over to the closet and yanks a long-sleeved black shirt identical to the one I saw him wear the day I met him, and pair of slate-grey jeans from the hangers. He throws the articles of clothing onto his bed, and he then gingerly removes his shirt, aware that I am still in the room, watching. Why the hell was I watching anyway? Karkat glances at me, as if making sure that I was not disgusted by what I see. I don't know why, I mean he actually looked go- oh my God, what are those?

Small, barely noticeable horizontal black slits run down Karkat's sides. There are three on each side. Why the hell didn't I notice those before?

"What the hell are you staring at, John?" asks Karkat. He actually obliged my wish of calling me by my first name. Huh.

"I-I just noticed those…scars on your sides, Karkat. What are those anyway?" I say, gawking at them curiously, school forgotten for the moment.

Karkat rolls his eyes and snorts. "Those are from when I was a wiggler. Wigglers have six legs when they are young, but as we mature into adolescent trolls, we loose them, and we develop the limbs we have now. These slits remain with us for the rest of our putrid lives. Are you following this?"

"…Yes, I am, but that is fucking weird," I say, sauntering up to him and attempting to poke them playfully. Karkat swats my hand away in annoyance and growls, teeth bared.

"Do not fucking touch those, asshole!" he yells, moving to put on his shirt and change into his jeans. I pout and turn around, head drooping to show my disappointment.

"Okay, I guess I'll get my stuff for school," I murmur dejectedly.

"God, Egb- John, don't be such a sensitive wiggler. Go awkwardly poke Gamzee in the side or something. I am sure he'd be happy to oblige your creepy curiosity."

"I am sure he would."

"Go get your stuff, idiot."

"Okay, Karkat."

I grin as I gather my notebooks, textbooks, pencils, and pens. I shove the aforementioned school supplies into my backpack. I set my now cumbersome backpack near the bedroom door. With everything squared away, I go into the bathroom to briefly fuss with my hair, which was messy and mused.

"You ready yet, John?" calls Karkat, who is standing in the hall, his backpack slung over his shoulder and he is tapping his foot.

"Yeah, I just have to get my shoes," I say, grabbing my backpack and heading to the entrance of the dorm room, which is where I keep my shoes. Once I put on my black sneakers, we exit the dorm room, and head out of the building.

We walk along an old dirt path that winds through the woods to get to the school facility, which is in the center of the whole campus. We walk in a comfortable silence for most of the way. Karkat keeps in stride with me, and he keeps his head down. It takes a long time for him to figure out that I was staring at him, and when he does, he scoffs and looks away quickly.

It is a crisp, early October morning. The dawn's rays pierce the thin fog suspended over the land, making the air itself glisten with sunlight. The trees are festooned with fat drops of dew, crystalline pearls adhering to the few dead leaves still clinging for life to the tall, proud branches. The sky only hints at a subtle blue as the sun rises in all its glorious warmth. This is a perfect morning to begin the school year. Man, do I wish it were summer again, though! I miss that freedom of staying up late with friends and of spending time watching awesome action flicks. Since our school starts so late, we get out at the very end of June, so some of the actual 'summer' part of summer vacation is spent in the classroom, but that is besides the point. The point is, summer is gone. Summer is gone, and I want it back.

~O~

Other students are milling about the front entrance to the school building when we arrive. I do not see anyone I knew or particularly want to talk to, so I lead Karkat into the building to guide him to his classroom.

"What class do you have first?" I ask, hoping he was in mine. It never hurts to have someone you know and like in class with you, even if they are prone to making derogatory comments about you practically every second of the day and night.

"I have Speech II with Roxy Lalonde in 5B," he says, withdrawing his schedule from a side pocket in his backpack.

"Same! Come on, let's go," I say as I grab his wrist and tow him to Roxy's room. Since I know her personally, it's more natural to call her Roxy. Besides, everyone, including students call her Roxy. Everyone does except Rose, who calls her Mother, although in a sarcastic way meant to antagonize her. They have some sort of mother-daughter feud that I will not elaborate on due to time constraints and the confusing fuckery and jackassery involved.

"So, is she that Rose Human's lusus?" asks Karkat, putting two and two together.

"Yep, they are mother and daughter! You'll see the resemblance when you meet her."

"Ugh, humans and their weird-ass families."

"Ugh, trolls and their weird-ass terminology for parents."

"Shut up, smartass."

"Hehe."

Karkat grumbles something about 'Goddamnit, the wrist holding. It keeps happening!' as we reach Roxy's room. I open the door and drop Karkat's wrist to humor him.

"Well heeeeello, boys. Yer sure early today. And you must be the new troll in town, am I right?" comes the slurred voice of one Roxy Lalonde. A martini is held in the hand of a tall, elegant woman that could only be Roxy. Anyone could see that she is Rose's mother by her platinum blonde hair and her luminous pink eyes. A long silk scarf that is the same pink of her eyes is wound around her neck loosely. She dons a white dress reaching to her knees and black tights underneath it. Her white high-heels clack on the tiled floor loudly as she approaches us. She looks Karkat up and down, sizing him up.

"It's nice havin' fresh faces around 'ere," she remarks, ruffling his hair and smirking. Karkat glares crimson daggers of pure hate. If looks could kill, Roxy would be a dead woman.

"It's good to see ya again, Johnny Boy!" she says, enfolding me in her arms. She is like an older sister to me; a punch-drunk sister who happens to be one of your best friend's mother.

Once she releases me from her bone-crushing hug, I grin and chuckle. "It's nice to see you too, Roxy. How was your trip?"

"Oh, it was booooring as usual. Drivin' with a completely unresponsive daughter from Rainbow Falls, New York is not a damn pansy picnic," she responds, dramatically gesturing with her free hand, and moving to take a sip of her martini with the other. Of course the principle was okay with her drinking habits, seeing as he allows weapons on campus, and even encourags it.

"Yeah, Rose can be a bit quiet and moody, but that's just how she is! I wouldn't have it any other way, either. So, you're teaching our speech class this year, Roxy? I thought you wanted to teach astronomy?"

"Well, I wanted to teach my darlin' daughter's class this year, so I asked Grandpa Harley, and he said, 'Yep! Go right on ahead, Miss Lalonde!'" she said, giggling drunkenly and meandering back to her desk. She sat on the desk and crossed her legs in a very lady-like manner. "Feel free to jus' hang aroun' in here 'til the bell rings."

"Okay, Roxy, will do," I say, gesturing for Karkat to follow me. There are no desks, but instead, there are rectangular tables that seat two. I walk him over to one near the center of the room and I sat down, throwing down my backpack on the floor next to me in the process. He too throws down his backpack, and he sits down in the chair beside mine.

"What exactly do we do in these classes of yours, hm?" asks Karkat cynically, a single eyebrow arching.

"Well, we learn about stuff. That is the best summary I have, really," I say half-assedly. Just as he is about to make a scathing retort, I hear the distinct sound of a wall being viciously drubbed with a cane. I can only guess who that could be.

"Hey, Karkles! Hello there, John! Looks like you're in my first class! Are you ready to get schoolfed?" says the smirking troll, strolling into the classroom. She makes her way to our desk and sits down in the neighboring desk. I notice that a black bandage conceals her wound from the day before.

"If by schoolfed, you mean, learn, then, yep!" I say in a chipper voice. She is a pretty cool troll, with her blind kickass fighting moves and her troll lingo. She needs to meet Dave.

"And how about you, Karkles?" She inquires, turning to the aforementioned Cancer.

"Whatever, I guess I can endure this horseshit. The question is, how are you going to _see_ the board? They won't let you lick it or some shit like that," says Karkat, his upper lip curling into a semi-smirk and revealing his cerated teeth. I was about to ask about what he meant by her not seeing it when it hit me.

"Oh yeah! You're blind! I had completely forgotten about that. How the hell do you get around so efficiently? How did you beat the shit out of Vriska?" I blurt out in a fit of idiocy.

Terezi takes on a look of feigned hurt. "John, you wound me! How could you make fun of a blind girl like that, you sick fuck? You have no shame, do you? I will cut your throat, and I will hear you bleed while I smell you die."

"Uh…well, I'm sorry, I guess? Uh, please don't kill me," I say, remembering how Vriska got her spider ass handed to her by the psychotic blind girl.

"Well, I guess I must accept this half-assed apology. I suppose it will do," she says grinning toothily and drubbing my knee with her cane.

"Can we stop this shitfest of flirtatious tomfoolery? I swear, you imbeciles are all shithive maggots," Karkat says, preemptively inhibiting a conversation that could potentially go on for hours.

I turn to look at the irked troll. He seems… irritated at something. Is he jealous of me for 'flirting' with her? Whatever the case, he looks pissed, and no one wants a pissy Karkat. Well, actually, he is fucking hilarious when he's angry, so I guess I don't mind. Even if he gets pissed at me, I'm pretty much okay with it, since he is almost always pissed anyway. I know, deep down in his shouty little heart, he just loves me to _bits_.

"Calm the hell down Karkles, you'll explode into little pieces of grumpy Karkat! Don't get _jealous _of me for snatching this _tasty_ smelling human away from you. You're so selfish, keeping him all to yourself! I want to taste him," Terezi purrs. She cackles and traces her finger down my arm absently. I shy away, embarrassed by her touchy-feely-smelly-tasty nature. It is disconcerting and all around pretty damn weird.

"Shut the fuck up, Terezi, John can have sloppy makeouts with you or whatever the hell you want. I don't give two shits. In fact, the two shits want nothing to do with this. I am not fucking jealous of you two fucknubs," Karkat grumbles, eyeing the teal blood darkly. I think it is high time that I intervene. I am _not _having sloppy makeouts, or whatever the hell those are, with Terezi. That would be….oh, God.

"You guys are so weird! I'm not gonna make out with anyone. Well, at least right now, anyway. Well, I mean I- can we change the subject?" I say pleadingly. This was getting awkward and uncomfortable at a very fast rate.

Terezi looks at me in mock pity. "But of course, John, we live to comfort you weak little humans," she says, cackling in utter abandon at my expense.

The bell rings then, releasing the floodgates for the awaiting students. The conversation is dropped as we see Kanaya, Rose, Dave, and Feferi filing into the classroom among the other students. The more people I know and like, the merrier, I say! I think this year's classes are going to be very 'interesting'.

"Well, I'm going to sit by that cool looking kid with the snazzy shades. Smell you guys later," Terezi says mischievously. She sniggers under her breath as she gets up to go pester Dave.

"What a psychotic weirdo," says Karkat, shaking his head and sighing dramatically.

Roxy rises from her seated position on her desk once everyone is settled in a seat. It seems that Terezi managed to nab the seat next to Dave. Feferi is sitting with some shy girl I don't really know, and Rose is seated next to Kanaya, who looks a bit uncomfortable in her desk. This is quite the setup we have here, no?

"Well, class, here's yer syllabus. Read over it an' sign it, then return it to me whenever you get the chance. Now, get out yer notebooks, we're gonna write a speech. Don't ask me 'bout the topic, 'cause I don't know what it is. I want it five paragraphs, with an introduction, a body, an' a conclusion. It can be on whatever the hell you want to write 'bout. Okay, get started. It's due next week," said Roxy, passing out the aforementioned syllabi while spouting off vague instructions.

This was going to be a sinch.

"Lousy Goddamned stupid human classes are useless and boring," mumbles Karkat in my ear.

"Cheer up, Karkat, this is going to be fun!" I whisper back.

"Whatever you say, _John, _Whatever you say..."

* * *

Wow, that was such an uneventful, terribly fluffy chapter of nothingness. Just...wow. I like reviews and comments, so feel free to drop by! :3


	14. Saccharine Olive and Supercilious Indigo

A/N: :33 *BWaA types furriously with her tail curled in concentration. *

Okay, let us get this show on the road, everyone! :33

Well, kaoruhikaruluver, I have gone back and looked at the chapter. You were right! There were a lot of mistakes! I updated the chapter with the corrections, so as to appease future readers. I apologize fur my haste. Also, yes, it is very fluffy, but I suppose it purrgresses the story a bit. School has taken my free time hostage, so I too am busy! Thank you so much, I will continue to update as fast as pawssible! :33

aimlessNovelist, you are…apologizing about not reviewing when you already express purrfound delight in reading it in pawst reviews? I love you people (this is directed at all reviewers)! I am ecstatic that you appurrove of my characterization! I have been worrying over the quality of my writing recently, so I thank you fur your feedback. Like an epic movie, you say? I f33l the love, you guys, I f33l it. H33h33, I had you worried with 'Johnrezi' did I? ;33 By the by…"Hold on to the F33LIN'!"

Aw, thank you KK (guest)! I hope you continue to read the story and enjoy it. I will k33p on k33ping on with this, so do not furet! I am preying on new ideas as we type.

Hm, allllllll w33k, you say? I am pawfully flattered, AllTheLovelyBrains! It was not the best chapter ever, but I hope it will sate you. Oh, thank you fur your purrayers! He has come back to school, and he is doing well! Old fashioned? I type in a condescending, smartass tone like in my story to my _furriends_. Well, I am sure you will have to duke it out with Tavros and/or Hussie….So again, I wish you good luck!

Zexionienzo, Karkitty is beautiful beclaws…hell, I do not know. He just is, I suppose. John is lovely beclaws…again, I have no idea. He is John, and that is all there is to say on the matter. The author (me), on the other paw, is aware that this story is definitely not the best fanfiction out there, but I am glad that you purraise it! :33

Better late than never, soadorabloodthirsty! H33h33, actually, beclaws of your furst review, I remembered to incorpurrrate 'adorabloodthirsty' in my story! It was the purrfect fit. :)

Oh, but Marilynjayfreak, I _am_ mediocre compared to other writers on this site! Also, I really do try hard when describing and writing my characters! I am elated that you find them to be in-character and fun! :33 Please remain a patron of my story, fur I n33d reviewers like you to k33p me going.

Yay! Thank you, Wub A Dub Dub, for your suppurrt! I will get another chapter out as fast as pawssible! ;3

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck, nope, not one bit.

Onward we blaze, my kitties.

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Fourteen:

Saccharine Olive and Supercilious Indigo

The Cancer and the supposed bane of his existence continued to work on their respective speeches as the first hour class went on. John's speech was on the merits of Nicolas Cage films, whilst Karkat's was on the topic of the four quadrants of troll romance. This was promising to be one strange, fucked up class, and John was going to enjoy every minute of it.

After twenty minutes of swearing, outlining, more swearing, and drafting, Roxy called for the class's attention by means of an earsplitting whistle.

"Hey, I fergot to mention; we have some new students atteneneding Skaia Academy. They jus' so happen to be trolls, so don't get yer panties in a twist 'bout alilien invaders or some sush bullshit," Roxy said, slurring her words, yet getting the point across effectively.

The class stared at her blankly. They had already known about them for quite a while now, and they were accustomed to their odd appearance and behaviors. It is not like they could have exactly _missed_ the foreigners. Roxy was a bit behind the times, it seemed.

"Um, Roxy? We already know," said the timid girl seated beside Feferi. The aforementioned troll giggled and resumed her essay. Her topic is one that has caused controversy within her race since the Condesce ascended to the throne. This profound topic was of the hemospectrum and how it should not demean anyone of lower blood. All trolls are equal, to the Pisces, no matter the hue of their blood. Of course, that is utter hoofbeast shit to _certain _members of her species.

"Weeeeell then, since yer all acquainted already, get back to work, e'ryone!" she crowed chirpily, sipping her martini and sashaying down the isle. Her pretty eyes cast about the room absently.

Karkat sighed and began again. He had outlined his speech, splitting up the quadrants into four body paragraphs. Once he organized most of his notes about the quadrants, he began writing a thesis, but he found this to be quite difficult. Writing a thesis about the quadrants was fucking hard.

The bell rang as he was composing his tentative thesis. He and John quickly gathered their supplies and absconded out the door to the next class, which they shared.

"So, we have English next, right?" asked Karkat, furrowing his brow as he looked at his schedule. John smiled at him and tilted his head to the side when he saw the troll do this. He was adorable, no matter what he said. No homo.

"Yep! Mr. Jake English teaches it. Pretty ironic, huh?" John said. "He is, like, one of my favorite teachers ever. He completely gets my love of movies and all of their wisdom and awesomeness. He also loves adventure and action like me. He's like a long-lost brother, or even a father, to me."

"So this teacher is like your second man-lusus?" queried the Cancer, wrinkling his nose at the conjuration of that disturbing image. It was weird as hell when he thought about it. Oh well, humans will be humans in their own fucked up way. Let them be primitive.

"Haha, I guess you could say that. He used to take care of me when I was a kid, and we bonded over the years. He and some of the other teachers have been there for me, as have my best friends."

"I've had my Crabdad and the other eleven fucktards who came here with me to keep me company. Now that my lusus is gone, and my friends finally know about my lousy Goddamn stupid blood, I just feel fucking lonely."

"Why would you feel lonely when you have _me_, dumpass?" John said jokingly. Internally, this question was a serious one. Did Karkat feel like he was not included enough? Did he still 'hate' humans? What was wrong, and could it be changed?

Before a now Blushing Karkat could make a proper sassy retort, there was a loud yowl of joy.

"Karkitty, you're here!" shouted an unfamiliar voice from behind the duo. John turned to Karkat, or rather Karkitty, and saw that he was in the process of being tackle-pounced into oblivion by a strange troll girl in an olive green trench coat. They slid down the hall for a ways, the troll girl sitting atop Karkat's back all the while.

"Damn it, Nepeta, get the fuck off of me," growled Karkat as he attempted to get up. The now identified troll, Nepeta, adamantly refused to do this, and ignored Karkat's protests.

"The lioness has successfully captured her prey. What will she do now?" said Nepeta teasingly.

"Hey, Nepeta was it? Um, maybe you should let Karkat up now. He looks kinda pissed," said John, staring at the grimacing Cancer. "By the way, my name is John Egbert. Nice to meet you!"

She looked up at John and grinned toothily with a saccharine disposition. Her lips and fangs were catlike in nature, as were her horns and her blue hat. "Hiya, John! I'm Nepeta Leijon. You know Karkitty?"

"Yep, I know him alright! He is my roommate this year," John responded casually, ignoring Karkat's obscene pleas to be allowed to stand up.

"He can be such a sourpuss sometimes. I am surpurrsed you haven't kicked him out yet! I guess you're special," Nepeta said sweetly, finally standing up and allowing Karkat to stand as well. He glared at her, and then hugged her. She began to purr contently.

"Hey, Nep. It's been a while, hasn't it?" asked Karkat.

"It sure has, Karkitty! Boy, have I missed everyone! I was pawfully lonely in that ship that they put me in. It was dark and scary, but we finally made it," she replied as she released him from the hug.

He took her appearance in, for he had not seen her in what seemed like ages. Her olive eyes were large and pretty, and her mane of wild black hair peeked out from beneath her hat, as usual. Rounded horns slightly larger than his jutted out of the holes in the aforementioned hat. Her shirt bore the sign of Leo, which was a striking olive that matched her coat and eyes. A long blue tail swished from side to side as she stood there, looking him over as well. She also still had those gloves with retractable claws that always freaked him the fuck out. What if they suddenly decided that they wanted to unsheathe, and he would be conveniently be standing there within range? There would be fuckall he could do about it.

"'Pawfully'?" asked John, who clearly did not know what kind of insane cat-girl he was dealing with.

"She makes incredibly idiotic cat puns whenever she gets the chance," Karkat explained. Nepeta 'meowed' with laughter.

"You know you love them, Karkitty!"

"Yeah, yeah, I _adore _them."

"Wait…Karkat…your eyes. Are you- is your- but how can-," Nepeta stuttered, shock evident in her olive-hued eyes. There was not a trace of disgust or hatred. There was merely surprise. To further emphasize her astonishment at the discovery, she had used Karkat's actual name as opposed to her frivolous nickname for him.

Another unfamiliar voice came from behind and interrupted Nepeta's stammers. The new voice was not nearly as pleasant to hear, for it was rather gruff and…creepy.

"Nepeta, what have I told you about tackle-pouncing str- oh, hello, Karkat," said a tall, burly troll that came striding up to them proudly, if not a bit STRONGLY.

The newcomer looked down at them through cracked sunglasses. John was rather put-off by his menacing demeanor. Most of his teeth were broken, and he was very muscular compared to other trolls he had encountered thus far. One of his horns was broken off near the base, but the other rose to its full height and displayed what looked to be an arrow of sorts. He donned a sweaty wife beater with the indigo emblem of Sagittarius emblazoned on it. His shorts, which only went down to his knees, failed to conceal his hairy legs and his black socks that rose halfway up his shins. The Sagittarius's cleats left indentions on the once pristine linoleum tile.

"Hey, Equius," replied Karkat shortly, ignoring Nepeta's gawking. John merely stood there, taking in the situation and trying to understand. He was failing miserably, but then it hit him; it was the _blood_. Before him stood Equius, the indigo blood, Nepeta, the olive blood, and Karkat, the candy blood. John suddenly understood everything, yet nothing at all.

"It almost sickens my to my stomach, but I will apologize for Nepeta's insolent behavior, although she is of a higher blood than you, and has a right to do what she likes to you. I do this because you are a friend," said the mysterious troll in a supercilious tone. He was about to go on, but he caught sight of Karkat's eyes.

"Karkat, you are a mu-"

"Damn it, Equius, you know as well as I do that the hemospectrum does not matter one fucking bit on this planet. If you wanna cull me, you'll have to fight me, because I am not going to take this shit. The humans don't give two shits about our hierarchy, and right now, we shouldn't either. I mean, how many Goddamn times do i _have _ to tell you dumbfucks? Damn, now I have a headache. Thanks a lot, Equius," Karkat said, glaring at this so-called 'Equius'.

"But…Kark-"

"I said enough, Zahhak. Don't be a douche, introduce yourself," said Karkat as he gestured at John, who had spectated the brief exchange.

"Greetings, human, I am Equius Zahhak," said the Sagittarius, who held out his hand for John to shake. At least he was being polite.

"I'm John Egbert. Nice to make your acquaintance," responded John, who was about to take Equius's hand, albeit hesitantly. Before their hands could touch, Karkat slapped the indigo blood's hand away.

"You would have broken his hand, dumbass! If other trolls can't handle a handshake, let alone a hug from you, why in the taint chafing hell would you think that a human could?"

"I think I need a towel," Equius said as he wiped a few drops of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Stop getting off on my sassy remarks, Fuckmunch. We need to get to class. Come on John, we have to go." Karkat grabbed John's arm and dragged him down the hall.

Nepeta seemed to snap out of her stammering stupor. "Wait! Do you have English Advanced Honors II next?"

John turned and called back to her. "Yeah, we do!"

"Great! Equius and I have it too." As Nepeta walked toward them with Equius in tow, she looked at Karkat. "We will talk about this in class, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever. Just don't freak the fuck out during class and inform the entire school of what I am," said the nubby-horned troll, looking down at his feet and sighing.

"What your are? You're still Karkat, no matter what color blood you have! Right Equius?" said Nepeta, elbowing the Sagittarius.

"Of course you are still the Karkat I have known since we were but a few sweeps old. Neigh, it matters not what filthy slop clogs your veins, you are still my friend," Equius stated. Nepeta punched his arm, but recoiled from the pain it caused her now aching hand.

"Equius! Stop being such a hardass! You are clearly still bothered by his blood for some stupid reason."

"What have I told you about that foul language? It is unbefitting of your status, and I order you to stop it this instant.

"…Fine."

John and Karkat looked on amusedly. "So, are they together, or what?" asked John. The Leo and the Sagittarius continued to bicker as John and Karkat talked.

"Oh, fucking _hell _no! They are moirails, idiot. I shutter to think that the flushed quadrant might allow the development of such a monstrosity of a relationship. I believe my thinkpan has died at the mere thought of that supposed matespritship. Please stand by while I prepare a eulogy for my dearly departed thinkpan."

"Karkat, you are one hilarious troll. Maybe you are just being close-minded," commented John, who was giggling at Karkat's utter disgust.

"You don't even begin to fucking know," Karkat muttered back. "Anyway, back to moirallegiance. A moirail is like a platonic soul mate of sorts, except it goes beyond that. Moirails are a destined pair that keeps one another in line. It is like the disgusting human equivalent of a love for a sibling. Despite its platonic appearance, it is considered to be a romance of the conciliatory nature. It is a redrom, and is therefore linked to pity, much like blackrom is linked to hatred." Karkat rattled off this description of the pale quadrant at lightning speed. John, who was trying to keep up and remember what was being said, was mentally taking notes and attempting to retain this information should the need arise to know about the troll quadrants. It was confusing as hell, but for some reason or another, John felt that knowledge of the quadrants could aid him later in some vague endeavor that he himself was unsure of. Oh well, it was but a mere feeling.

The four teens walked the rest of the way to their shared class, talking and bickering good-naturedly. After all that bullshittery and wasted time, they were still not tardy for second hour class, but they were sure cutting it close. They filed into class and chose their seats. The bell rang as Karkat took the seat to the right of John. Nepeta made a point to sit to the right of Karkat, while Equius took the desk behind her. Since they were the last of the eleven students to enter the class, the teacher though it was the perfect time to scare the living shit out of everyone.

"Hello, class! Are you prepared for a ripsnorting good time this year?" greeted a tall, rugged man as he leapt out from behind the door and onto his desk. Nepeta squealed is surprise and allowed her retractable claws to unsheathe in a defensive gesture. Karkat swore loudly and grabbed John's arm. John fell out of his chair, taking Karkat with him. They toppled to the ground in an ungraceful tangle of limbs. Equius didn't even budge, although he was visibly perspiring.

"Well, it seems that I've got a lively bunch of you! This is going to be a positively smashing," he said, smirking and winking at Nepeta. Said troll blushed and retracted her claws in slight embarrassment. John righted himself in his desk, and he then helped Karkat up from the floor. The Cancer glared half-heartedly at John's outstretched hand, but he accepted the assistance anyway.

The man standing proudly on the teacher's desk wore skin-tight shorts that reached mid-thigh. Adorning his mostly bare thighs were extremely sexy thighstrap double holsters. To some of the more 'normal' students' horror, there were actual pistols holstered in them. They were most likely loaded. The man also donned a forest green coat with a white T-shirt underneath it. The shirt bore a strange green skull on it. Black combat boots practically screamed adventure to the onlookers. His tanned skin offset his brilliant cobalt eyes, which were almost the same color as John's. He too had glasses, but he did not look like a complete tool when he wore them. His black hair was mused and disheveled, but it was a very attractive attribute that only enticed the female population all the more. Buckteeth made their existence known as he grinned at the awestruck class.

The mysterious man drew his pistols and twirled them about his fingers expertly. He then brought them to his lips, blew the imaginary smoke from the 'blazing barrels', and he winked sultrily. A chorus of swoons echoed throughout the room from some of the females in the room.

This man…was Jake English.

* * *

Can you tell that I like Jake English? ;33 I honestly do not favor him over John or Karkat, but he is fun to write. Please give me feedback! I am a sucker for a review.


	15. A Strife of the Heart

A/N: Hey there, readers! I actually updated the story much faster this time! I know, I know, you are all proud of me in a maternal/paternal way that only you, my dear reders, can express to me. Your little 'Bomby' is growing up. :'D

Heehee! Wub A Dub Dub, I too am fangirling over Jake English. He is so adventurous… ;3

Oh, aimlessNovelist, I literally laughed out loud when I read your awesome review! What can I say? Jake is a sexy beast. Also, Equius aggravates me to no end, and I want to punch him, too. I will hold him down, and you will punch and kick (assuming he would not just STRONGLY toss us into oblivion). Yes, breaking John's hand is reserved for Karkitty, and no one else! Sexy time will come…eventually…

D'aww, Midori! :B Do I explain things that well? I am tremendously happy that I have straightened out any confusion that Hussie has bestowed upon your thinkpan. Hell, I am still a foggy on a few things. More characters will come, just you wait! :D

Do not fear, Smiddish, the planets will align, and all of our JohnKat fantasies will come to pass. It will be beautiful (I hope). :3 I will try to update faster than I have been, but I make no promises.

Ah, Zexionienzo! You are back! Ha, Jake was extremely entertaining to write, and I think I like myself a little more for making him a part of the story. Of course I will keep writing (as long as you continue to read and review)! :D Guys? I feel loved. :)

Okay, okay, you win, Marilynjayfreak! You win! I am not mediocre, I am an _adequate writer. _ How would you term me, if you do not find my own christening satisfactory? ;) Oh, you like Jake English, do you? Well, there will surely be more! I have found that my readers favor my Karkat, which I am completely baffled by. Continue to be my loyal patron, I beseech you. :D

Disclaimer: Okay, now it pains me to admit that I do not own the motherfucking miracle that is Homestuck. It hurts, guys, it hurts… Also, I am aware that curmudgeony is not a word. Hehehe.

Onward, my lovely consorts!

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Fifteen:

A Strife of the Heart

"Well, I thought I would just scare the bejeezes out of you chaps before getting this teaching rubbish off to the races. Here's your syllabus. Sign them and return them by the end of the week," said Jake, who promptly leapt down from his desk, holstered his pistols, and handed out the syllabi.

As everyone was passing the syllabi down the isles, Jake took the opportunity to write on the chalkboard at the front of the classroom. It read: Mr. Jake English, English Advanced Honors II. The chalk used to compose this inscription was a peculiar forest green that was akin to his coat.

"As you know, I am Jake English, your English teacher for this year. We are going to kick this year off with vocabulary, which by the by is utter codswallop in my opinion. Really, it is only memorization, nothing more. Vocabulary homework is completely useless as opposed to the valuable life lessons attained by adventuring! I say, those administrative blokes can shut their cakeholes and let us teachers decide what to teach you kids," Jake ranted, pacing back and forth. He looked lost in thought for a moment, but he then snapped back to attention.

"I suppose I should pass out your vocabulary books now. Come up to the front when I call your name."

Jake reached behind his desk and withdrew a large stack of textbooks. He set them down heavily on his desk and he took his seat. He called out the first few in the alphabetical list, and he stopped when he saw John's name. A grin broke out across his face, lighting up the room exponentially.

"John, my boy! Here you are. It's good to see you," he said, handing the book to the aforementioned derp. Jake took the book, shook Jake's hand heartily, and returned to his seat.

"Nepeta Leijon," he said, glancing up. The Leo stood and made her way toward the front.

"What a lovely name you have, love," Jake said, handing her the textbook.

She took the book bashfully, and scurried back to her desk. Equius gritted his uneven, broken teeth.

A few names later, he happened upon the ever cantankerous Cancer.

"Karkat Vantas."

The troll walked to the front and snatched the book from Jake, grumbling something about "adventurous assholes and their striking resemblance to Egderp". Jake smirked, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Equius Zahhak," he called, looking up at the last student on the list.

The Sagittarius strode to the teacher's desk and he took his book. The poor tome seemed to be crushed slightly under Equius's strength. Jake thought he heard the text scream in agony and beg to be shredded out of its misery. Jake shifted in his seat uncomfortably after having dealt with him, which is understandable.

"Turn to page 69 and copy the definitions of the terms from the word caliginous to the word ectobiology. This is due tomorrow, so I suggest that you all begin it immediately. If you complete it early, read or work on other assignments. If none of that confounded malarkey strikes your fancy, I would be chuffed to teach fighting maneuvers to anyone who is willing," Jake offered, spinning in his chair. It was one of those 'rolly chairs' that students so envied. That lucky bastard just had to taunt them, did he not? Even the male population was sucked into the phenomenon that is Jake English.

This was the most random, offhanded thing a teacher could have offered as an alternative to classwork, but the class seemed to just go with the flow.

John and Nepeta's hands shot into the air at record-breaking speed when he mentioned the strife mentoring. Karkat scoffed and rolled his eyes at the two of them.

"Ah, I see mister John and miss Nepeta would like a smidgeon of training. Anyone else?"

John nudged Karkat and whispered in his ear. "Hey," he murmured, "come train with Nepeta and me! It will be so awesome."

"No, I don't want to join you grubfuckers in a spectacular game of dicking around for an hour," said the candy blooded troll, crossing his arms defiantly. His blood red eyes glared curmudgeony daggers at John.

"You are coming with me," John declared as he took Karkat by the arm and dragged him out of his seat.

"Karkat wants to come, too!"

"What the fuck, John? I said hell n-"

"Come on, slowpoke! He's heading out the door."

"Ugh, dammit, John. Fine, I'll go with you and whatever. I'm only doing this for shits and giggles, though."

John and Karkat retrieved their respective weapons from their backpacks. What inane high school student does not carry their weapons with them at all times? That is right; dumpass fuckwits with no semblance of common sense.

It seemed that Nepeta was arguing with Equius about the proposal. By the way Equius grumbled and crossed his arms in defeat, it was clear that Nepeta had won his permission, or should we say, _purr_mission.

She came bounding up to Jake's side in glee, grinning from ear to ear. Equius trudged after her grudgingly.

Jake called back to students who were remaining in the confines of the classroom. "You ladies and gents stay put for the rest of the hour. I am taking these promising young fellows to the fields." The fields mentioned are all-purpose pastures that are used for sporting events, recreational activities, and the occasional school function.

Jake led the teens out to the fields, which were hemmed in by thick copses and vegetation. The surrounding trees reached their bare branches skyward, creating a natural arena of sorts. As they walked, Nepeta whispered to Karkat.

"We will talk about your _thing_ when we are sparing, okay?"

"If you fucking insist, then I suppose I will have to humor your curiosity. Haven't you heard that human saying? Was it 'curiosity killed the cat'? Well, in this case, it may apply very fucking nicely."

Jake halted when they got to the center of the field. The four teens following him stopped short and waited for him to speak.

"I was not surprised that you and a few other daring gents would take up my offer for a round of strife practice," Jake said, addressing John, "but I was, however, flummoxed that a pretty lass like Madame Leijon would join us as well. This is just aces! So, who fancies a good sparing session with me, hm?"

John's sky blue eyes brightened, as did Nepeta's olive ones, but Karkat intervened. Equius merely stood by, eyeing Nepeta and making sure she was in check.

"Stay your asses put. I am going to get this rumpus shitty clusterfuck party over and fucking done with," said the Cancer, raising his sickles in a challenging motion.

"You're a gutsy one, aren't you? Very well then, let's strife!" said Jake, drawing his twin M9 Berettas.

"Whoa, wait! How the fuck am I supposed to fight you when you have guns? I'll be dead in a second, you twit," Karkat said exasperatedly.

"Oh! I suppose you are right. How about a rousing round of fisticuffs instead?" Jake said, holstering his pistols and raising his fists.

"Fine by me," responded Karkat, who threw his sickles on the ground nearby. The troll moved into a fighting stance and waited for Jake to give the green light on the start of the brawl.

"Come at me!" Yelled the English teacher, charging at Karkat. Karkat met him halfway with his fists swinging.

Karkat swung his right arm out, intending to connect with Jake's side, but his assault was avoided swiftly. Jake ducked under Karkat's arm, and he threw an uppercut, which nailed the Cancer in the jaw. The troll fell to the ground, but quickly rolled away from Jake and staggered to his feet. Candy red blood trickled from the side of his mouth, and he promptly wiped it away with the back of his hand.

Jake rushed at him, and Karkat barely dodged a downright nasty right hook.

Karkat bared his serrated teeth and growled at Jake. Jake smirked and motioned tauntingly for Karkat to come at him.

The pissed off troll obliged Jake's mock invitation, and he ran at the man. Jake attempted to anticipate Karkat's next move, but he greatly misjudged the oncoming attack. Jake dodged to the right preemptively, but Karkat hooked his arm around his Jake's waist, and he threw him to the ground. For good measure, Karkat kicked him in the hip.

Feigning a knockout, the English teacher lay there on the ground, unmoving. Karkat approached the prostrate figure. Jake then snapped to life, sweeping Karkat's legs out from under him. As the Cancer fell to the ground, Jake stood up quickly and lunged at Karkat, who was still trying to recover from the blow. The two rolled around on the ground, fighting for dominance, when Jake finally pinned Karkat down. Jake pinned the raging troll's arms to the ground, and straddled his waist.

"I won."

"Fuck you."

"Well, what have we learned from this fight?" inquired Jake, who stood up and then assisted an angry Karkat up from his previous position.

"always anticipate your oppurrnents next moves. Learn their body language," answered Nepeta fervently.

"Smashing observations, Nepeta! Blimey, you aren't just a pretty face, are you? Ah, a girl after my own heart, I'd wager," said Jake, winking. Nepeta picked at the hem of her shirt and glanced up at Jake through her eyelashes demurely.

"Now, How about you, Equius? Let's test your combat skills, shall we?"

"Neigh, I will observe from afar," replied the indigo blood in a prudish manner.

"Oh, bollocks! You know you want to fight. Come on, just a bit a sparing will do you good, mate," Jake said convincingly.

"I need a towel…alright, I will strife, but be warned of my STRONG fists." Although his preferred weapon was a bow, Equius was forced to use his fists because every time he attempted to use a bow, it shattered. He has caused hundreds of tragic bow deaths.

Equius and Jake prepared to strife, even after several warnings about Equius's unparalleled strength. Oh well, it was Jake's funeral...

While the two spared, Nepeta rounded on Karkat.

"Okay, Karkitty, tell me," she said commandingly.

John stood by and listened to the exchange, mentally filing away bits of information.

"What is there to tell, other than the glaringly obvious and immutable fact that I am a fucking mutant?"

"Hmmm, let me think! How did you survive for so long on Alternia without being culled? How did you pass the blood test? Do any of the others know?"

"Well, for starters, apparently, there was a lusus naturae bred in the caverns that was sympathetic to my mutation. For sweeps, I lived in fucking isolation with only Crabdad for company, which isn't saying shit. I only talked to you guys, and I almost never ventured out of my hive. I basically avoided all physical contact with other trolls, and I kept a low profile. I was careful. As for the blood test, I masqueraded as a lime blood, using Gamzee's infernal paint as a sample. Kanaya, Vriska, Sollux, Terezi, Equius, and you know for certain. I am not even sure if Feferi or Gamzee even _noticed_ for fuck's sake. They sure as hell never mentioned it."

Nepeta thought for a second, and then her olive eyes widened. "So that means you're the Sufferer's descendent!"

"Yeah, Sollux already grilled me about everything."

"You know about my ancestor the Disciple, right? She and the Sufferer had a love that went beyond the quadrants. Don't you think that is the sweetest thing ever?" she cried, jumping up and down in the most adorable way _paw_ssible. It was hard to believe she used to kill the ferocious fauna of Alternia with her bare hands and paint pictures on her cave's walls with their blood.

"Whatever. That romantic fuckery is nice and all, but getting back to the point, the Sufferer just so happens to be my ancestor. What's it to you?" asked Karkat, eyeing her in suspicion. She looked down, and she swished her tail back and forth nervously.

"Um, well, Sollux and Kanaya told me not to say anything until he said I could, so I can't tell you! All I can say is that it involves your ancestor."

"Well that helps a fucking lot. I suddenly understand jack everything. Thank you, Nepeta."

"Sorry, Karkitty."

"…It's okay. I'll find out later anyway."

"Believe me, you will!"

Just as the conversation was winding down, Equius and Jake's strife came to its epic conclusion. In short, Jake got his ass beat down by Equius's STRONG fists of pain. He put up a valiant fight, but The Sagittarius is just the best there is.

~O~

"Ow."

John had just been knocked to the ground by a elbow to the ribs from Karkat. They were fighting with their respective weapons, but they were attempting to keep their usage to a minimum. John scrambled to his feet and gripped his hammer tightly. He had christened it the Wrinklefucker. The Wrinklefucker is nigh, and all the wrinkles are fucked. All of them.

Nepeta and Equius were sparing at the other end of the fields. Jake was currently spectating their fight, giving the occasional tip on stance, foot movement, or general technique.

John swung his hammer down on Karkat's sickles, which were held in a defensive position. John's cobalt eyes danced with delight. This was the best English class ever.

Karkat held his ground, and he parried the wrinklefucking onslaught. The troll in turn sliced at John, but was met with the handle of the hammer. Said handle connected with Karkat's shoulder. He stepped back to avoid being smashed into next week with the business end of the Wrinklefucker.

"Fuck this, I think this is a draw," declared the grumpy troll in a huff.

"Aww, Karkaaat! Let's strife some more," John said in an adorable tone that caught Karkat off-guard. The look in his eye was even more off-putting.

"N-no."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yesssss."

"No."

"…okay, Karkat."

They sat side by side and watched Nepeta and Equius's fight. John casually leaned against Karkat's shoulder and tucked his legs underneath him.

"What are you doing, you dunderfuck?"

"Getting comfortable. By the way, you make a nice pillow."

"Get the fuck off."

"Nope."

"Whatever."

John nuzzled his head against the sleeve of Karkat's shirt and he sighed in contentedness. The naked branches of the birch tree surrounding the fields rustled and waved to-and-fro in the bone-chilling wind. Brown, red, orange, and yellow leaves swirled and danced on the wind. Clouds obscured the sky, and blocked the sun's warm rays from reaching the frostbitten earth. Karkat shifted slightly and fidgeted.

Karkat noticed that his heartbeat picked up a bit at the intimate contact that was, of course, purely platonic. But was it _really_? John was sending mixed signals, and Karkat himself was unsure of where their relationship stood. Which was it? Was is platonic friendship, a one-sided kismesissitude, or even a, dare he say, matespritship? What. The. Fuck.

The Cancer hesitantly let his tense muscles relax as John settled on his shoulder. John had told him numerous times that he was 'not a homosexual'. Damn, humans are so fucked up in the thinkpan.

Matespritship was a possibility, but the problem was that the derp was 'not a homosexual' as he so eloquently put it, and that Karkat was pretty damn sure he did not quite wax red for the boy. Being flushed for a _human? _ That was a preposterous proposition, and as such, it will burn in hell and die a thousand deaths in a flaming pit of the Cancer's rage and hate over and over again for all of eternity.

Karkat was pretty sure John did not harbor any black feelings for him, and he knew they were friends in a warped way. Pursuing a romance in the caliginous quadrant would most definitely be futile and inauspicious for both of them due to lack of hatred from one side of the relationship. Remaining tentative friends may be the answer, but it was not that simple. What if these small feelings he had for John grew?

John shivered from the biting autumnal wind and snuggled closer to Karkat, who was mulling over his confusing situation. John was completely oblivious to the inner turmoil raging within the Cancer. He certainly _felt_ something for the blue-eyed derp, but the issue was figuring what those feelings were.

Besides it being a one sided relationship, there was also another problem with a kismesissitude with John.

There would not even be one side to it, actually.

This was because Karkat never truly hated John.

In fact, he though John was pretty okay.

* * *

Wow, that was a pointless chapter. Most of it had no importance whatsoever, but I hope y'all enjoyed it nonetheless. Please tell me what you guys think! :)

Also, please inform me if I ever fuck up the quadrants in the story. I get a bit confused sometimes, so if there are any mistakes, then I would appreciate it if I was told.

On a side note; damn, do I want that Wrinklefucker as _my _weapon. I would be indestructible!


	16. The Pariah and the Paraplegic

A/N: I finally got Karkat to show some of his true feelings for John, or rather what he does _not_ feel. At least I got this show on the road now. Although the road is filled with potholes and carcasses of the quadruped persuasion, it is still a fucking road. :D

I just had to put that perfect little number in there, RAndOmanimefreak123! ;D Also, thank you very much! I was worried about the quadrants being a bit confusing. I will elaborate on quadrants as the story continues, but I will attempt to make it brief. It is a daunting task… U~U

Yay, I am getting more and more feels from you lovely patrons! I am sorry, Wub A Dub Dub, about the difficult diction. :( I get rather carried away with my ridiculous vocabulary. I may be a bit archaic sometimes, and then casual as hell the next. I am glad you put up with my confusing word choice! :)

Hmm, Midori (guest), 'pretty okay' is quite the praise coming from the cranky Cancer, but did he really _say _that he was flushed for him? *Insert frightening instrumentals here* :D I would have Jake English as my teacher _any day_. :3 Heehee, you liked that little 'what is going on in Karkat's thinkpan', did you? I am content with your magnificent love for the chapter!

AllThe LovelyBrains, shame on you! You should know better than to apologize for not reviewing! I am just happy you took some of the precious time out of your day to read this story! :'D Also, your spelling was correct for 'cantankerous'. I award you a gold star of 'Spelling Awesomeness'! Hehe, that was one of my better adjectives. Nepeta was 'totes adorbs' to write! She is also one of my favorite trolls, considering I myself am a cat lover. ;33 I am sorry for not updating the other chapters quickly, but I have to build up suspense! I hope I do not drive you away with my negligent behavior. Jake English…is the hottest English teacher the world has ever known.

D'awww, 21lillian21, are you a Karkitty, too? I have little rages throughout my day that my friends just tune out…kind of like Karkat. :) I am glad you decided to review and praise my current work! I will certainly keep up on the updates! * wonk, wonk *

Zexionienzo, you are an awesome human being. :') Graceful and eloquent, you say? I have never done anything gracefully or eloquently in my entire life, so this review surprised me, yet made me all fuzzy inside! :B Ah! I will try to write even better now!

Disclaimer: Must I reiterate the agonizing phrase? …Fine. I do not own Homestuck...meh. -_-

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Sixteen:

The Pariah and the Paraplegic

"Come on, Karkat! We're going to be last in the line!" called John, laughing as he ran ahead of the Cancer. Karkat rolled his eyes and sprinted after the blue-eyed boy, who was still calling for him to catch up. Why the hell did he tolerate that idiot?

After Jake's class, the two had meandered back to the central area of the campus. They then ditched their backpacks by the front entrance to the cafeteria, and were now making a dash to be the first in line for recess. Every day, a spacious area with snacks and drinks was provided for students, and it got very hectic when the entire high school was in their, fighting for crappy food. Once the duo made their way through the line, they each paid with their student ID cards and headed out of the crowded building.

As John led him to a large, gnarled tree a fair ways from the buzz of the teenage crowds, Karkat wondered, not for the first time, why in the taint chaffing hell he was still with John. He could have just ditched him immediately after class, but he did not. Was this the troll disease called…_friendship? _ Wait, no. Friendship is not a so-called 'troll disease', dumbass. Whoever the nooksniffers is that thinks up these things must have grub sauce sloshing around where their thinkpan should be.

Instead of _friendship, _maybe the reason he tolerated John was that he lo-

"Mmm, it's nice and quiet over here!" John said happily. He found a cozy seat in the tangle of roots and decaying leaves, and sat down to enjoy the apple he had gotten. Karkat plopped down next to him in a neighboring crook in the roots, and he took a bite of his muffin. The Cancer had a notorious sweet fang that was borderline legendary among his friends.

"So, how do you like school so fa-"

"I fucking hate it." There was a pause. "Well, some of it is not completely awful, I guess. The food is pretty damn good, considering that it is human swill, and also, Jake's class was not all bad. Roxy's was…wait, was that even considered a class? She basically told us to do fuckall."

John laughed good-naturedly and smiled. "I'm glad you are liking it! Coming from you, those are big compliments. And yes, Roxy's class, however casual and laid-back it may seem, is still considered a class."

There was a relaxed silence as they finished their respective snacks. A friendly atmosphere pervaded the autumnal October air as the two sat together, listening to the crisp crackling of the dead leaves and the faint echoes of laughter and shouting. A washed-out background of amorphous silhouettes made for hazy scenery. Fog was slowly rolling in from the cliffs, and was gently blanketing the school in dense banks of smoky vapor. The dreary weather felt almost comfortable to the troll and the human.

"So, what is your home planet like? I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like!" said John, breaking the silence suddenly. Karkat was taken aback at the abrupt question, but he answered anyway, albeit with another question.

"Uh, what do you want to know?"

John tilted his head to the side, thinking.

"Everything."

"For starters, it is hot as hell most of the time because of Alternia's sun's intensity, but the dark seasons are really fucking cold. I personally hate cold weather, so Alternia's weather was pretty great for the most part. I guess you already know that I am considered an outcast because of our hemospectrum, so I will skip that shit. Let's see…Alternia has two moons instead of one. The smaller of the two is cotton candy pink, which has an even smaller pink moonlet orbiting it, and the larger is a bright green. By the way, cotton candy is a delicious Alternian confection that is considered a delicacy among trolls. It is sweet and sugary, and it melts in your mouth. Of course, Earth, being the primitive shithole that it is, does not have cotton candy."

John burst out laughing, the occasional snort extant in his unbridled hilarity. "Karkat, you do know that Earth actually has cotton candy, right? You have to be fucking with me when you say that you don't think we have it! Haha, oh wow, that is hysterical!"

"Hmph, well excuse me for not being up to date on everything about your Goddamn planet. I guess it is mildly impressive that you fuckers have been able to produce cotton candy. _Anyway, _back to my kickass planet," Karkat snapped in agitation. "Our trees aren't usually this heinous shitstain brown color, and the leaves aren't green all the time. For instance, Terezi lives in a Godforsaken forest in the middle of fucking nowhere, and the tree trunks are a very striking periwinkle hue. The leaves are a magenta color that is much like Feferi's blood color. It's like a rainbow allowed its tendrils of dye bleed onto the Alternian landscape. It is quite beautiful, actually. That is one of the reasons I love it there. The sea dwellers' lusii and other faunae inhabit the seas. Land dwellers, their lusii, and other creatures such as horsarnonis populate the land. I can't think of anything else to mention that is interesting, besides the fact that our planet is mainly inhabited by kids, rather than adults. Our monarch, Her Imperious Condescension, rules Alternia and the galaxies that it has conquered. She is kind of a huge bitch, but her blood is the highest on the hemospectrum, apart from Feferi, who is the heiress in line for the throne. She and the Condesce are the only ones of their kind."

"Um, whoa, that's a lot of stuff, but it all sounds so amazing! So, there are no adults? You explained the concept of lusii taking care of you guys instead of adults of familial relations, but it is weird to think that you have little to no supervision. Also, you have trees that are blue and pink? That is so cool! And that nice girl Feferi is an heiress to an empire? That is awesome!" John exclaimed, grinning and trying to imagine the colorful planet in all of its exotic grandeur.

"Yep, it is pretty damn cool, and I miss it, but it's nice to feel like I won't have to worry about being culled for my abnormal blood anymore."

"If anyone tried to hurt you for that idiotic reason, they'd have to deal with me first!" John said, his cerulean eyes glinting resolutely. Karkat did not know what to say about that earnest statement.

"Y-yeah, yeah, John, of course my knight in shining armor will come save me from the villainous subjugglators and their clown cult tomfoolery," replied Karkat while rolling his eyes. He looked back at John, who seemed putout by his sarcasm. "Thanks for caring, though. It…it means a lot that you do seem to give a shit, but if it is just pity, then I don't want it! I don't accept pity from others because I am _not _some grubfucking wiggler."

Karkat allowed the whisper of a smile to ghost across his lips when John leaned against him and said, "How could I _not _care, Karkat? You deserve someone who cares about you. I do not pity you, either; I only sympathize."

That Cancer blushed a striking crimson and swallowed. His vermilion eyes widened in surprise.

"What are you doing, shithead? Get the fuck off, and stop saying endearing things."

Why was he so flustered all of the sudden? It could not be John that was doing this to him. He was Karkat fucking Vantas, and he could not be flustered by some idiot human boy that was constantly derping around and being so infuriatingly likeable. Or could he?

"Hehe, why? You're so comfy, Karkitty. I also like to say endearing things to my best friends," John murmured, closing his eyes and curling up to Karkat's side.

"Do not start calling me that infernal nickname, you festering derp scab. I…am one of your best friends?"

"But I like it; it's cute! And yes, you are."

"What have I said about calling me _cute_? Why the hell do you think I am your 'best friend'?"

"Oh, right! It's adorabloodthirsty, then. You are one of my best friends because you are fucking awesome."

"Damn straight on both accounts."

The distant resonations of the bell signaled the end of recess. The Cancer shoved John off of his shoulder, and he got up. After a moment's hesitation, he held out his hand for John to take. John smiled his customary bucktoothed smile, and he accepted Karkat's reluctant aid. Best friend. That is what John had called him, but was it in earnest? Karkat took one look at John, and decided that yes, he meant what he said.

The two walked up to the main facility and gathered their backpacks. John said his farewells and headed off to his class, leaving Karkat standing in the hallway, looking after him.

~O~

A tall, well-built, handsome man stood before the Algebra Honors II class in Room 216A. His anime shades glinted mysteriously in the bright phosphorescent light of the classroom. The room's walls were adorned with posters of Ben Stiller, SBaHJm and…My Little Pony. His hands were clad in black horse leather gloves, ironically enough, and he wore a form-fitting white shirt with an orange hat depicted on it. This guy was the very definition of cool and what it means to be a bro.

He looked to be the around same age as Jake and Roxy, who were twenty-one and twenty-four respectively. The principal tended to hire young teachers for whatever reason. His ample muscles grew taut as the enigmatic man stretched in a catlike fashion and let out a sigh.

"It seems that you guys are going to be my Algebra Honors II class this school year. Good luck," said the man, handing out syllabi for the class to take up. He said nothing about them, and chose instead to move on to introductions.

"As most of you know, I'm Dirk Strider, your Algebra teacher. No need to be formal and shit; just call me Dirk."

Karkat leaned over to whisper in his neighbor's ear. "Does this guy remind you of anyone?"

"Uh, not that I know of, but maybe, um, your friend that you were uh, talking about might know who you are thinking of."

"Yeah, John probably knows. I'll ask him later. So, how's it going? I haven't seen you in a while, Tavros," said the Cancer. He was never overwhelmingly fond of the pansy, but it was difficult not to at least pity the poor guy. He was, after all, thrown off of a cliff by the Spider Bitch, and ended up paralyzed.

Tavros Nitram was seated next to Karkat in his wheelchair, smiling gently and listening patiently to Karkat's mumbling.

"Everything is great! I really, uh, like it here on this human planet. The humans are nice to, uhh, me, and they seem to like me a lot," he said happily. The troll's horns resembled those of a massive bull, and they swung dangerously to-and-fro as he tilted his head this way and that in glee. Tavros's mohawk had grown out a bit since Karkat had last seen him, but his pointed ears stuck out all the same. He also still wore his old black jacket over his T-shirt with his sign on it. The brown emblem emblazoned on the shirt was of the zodiacal sign, the Taurus. Judging by the color of the sign, the troll was a member of the lower caste in the hemospectrum.

Tavros's large brown eyes gazed at Karkat in elation, and he grinned, showing his fangs.

"How about you? Have you and this, uh, 'John human' become friends? Also, have the others been, uh, you know, cool about your blood and all?" Tavros said in his usual uncertain, stuttering speech. He was sweet and kind, but his lack of self-esteem and confidence really killed him when it came to interaction with others.

"John and I hate each other, and I hope he rots in hell with his stupid buckteeth, and his damnable blue eyes, and his moronic laughter. He is a complete tool," Karkat said fiercely, almost believing that he meant what he said.

"Oh, Karkat, it, uhh, seems like you are having feelings of the, um, caliginous persuasion. Am I right?" queried the Taurus teasingly. He momentarily glanced at the front of the room, and then he looked back to Karkat for an answer. Dirk continued reviewing 'classroom procedures and all of that boring shit' with the class as Tavros and Karkat talked.

"Hell no! Not THAT kind of hatred, you paraplegic piss-off."

"Well, it sure seems like you don't, um, hate him at all. I think you are waxing re-"

"Moving the fuck on from this topic, yes, most of the others are okay with it. I think finding out that I was a pariah was a bit hard on some of them, but others disregard it. Vriska, on the other cruel hand of hemotyping, completely flipped a royal bitch, and she tried to kill me."

"I'm not surprised," said Tavros in a peeved tone. That bitch has attempted to murder way too many of her friends. She succeeded in actually murdering one of her friends, but the reader must not be inexorably plagued with thoughts of who that person might be, how this person was killed, and for what reason. Of course, being patient, as they are known to be, the reader will completely ignore any mention of this shadowy character, and they will continue with the current events of the story with a cheerful countenance.

"I actually thought she would handle it better, but I was as wrong as you can fucking get. At least you seem not to care about it."

"Well, I see no reason to, uh, judge or anything. We are on a new planet after all, so we might as well just forget about the, um, hemospectrum and its blood caste. Rufio told me to be confident in myself and in my blood color, but to still recognize everyone as equal. Besides, you are a good, uhh, friend of mine." Tavros grinned at Karkat. The aforementioned 'Rufio' is the Taurus's best friend and voice of guidance. Although he is not real, his friends often indulge his fakey fake fantasies.

"Thanks, Tavros," Karkat said, feeling a bit better due to the infectiousness of Tavros's positive attitude and overall soothing nature. Tavros is most likely the most gentle of the trolls, and he is virtually unable to have any blackrom feelings for someone because he does not truly hate anyone.

The two turned back toward the front, and they were greeted with sight of Dirk, beating a kid over the head with a really odd puppet that had a rather disturbing visage. That doll could see into a person's soul and uncover every dark secret within their being, picking apart their innermost hopes and dreams. Those empty eyes could make a grown man weep for mercy at the mere sight of them. In short, this puppet could bring about the end of the world. It could do all of the things previously described, but right now, it was busy beating the shit out of an unsuspecting, idiotic kid that was now crying.

Karkat sighed in a curmudgeonly fashion, and he laid his head down on his desk. His thoughts drifted towards John as he sat there watching the scene before him with little interest.

Was John in his next class?

When would he see him again that day?

Would they sit together at lunch or go to another class together?

Would John choose to sit with someone else?

Why the hell did he even _care_?

The last inquiry in itself was a very good question that Karkat could not answer.

* * *

Well, this chapter was uneventful and nothing happened, but shit is about to go down. Trust in me, my people.


	17. The Inexorable Flow of Fate

A/N: First and foremost, I must apologize for the belated update! I have been at driver's ed, and I have had numerous school assignments to complete this week. I will attempt to update in a timelier manner from now on. :) Thank you for your patience.

Hehe, I suppose you are right, Wub A Dub Dub. The time Karkat and John spend together: priceless (and eventful). Oh yes, shit goes down. Only part of the shit goes down in this update. There will be more shit to come later…or will there? ;)

You forgot to review? Well, I will be damned if you are going to slack on me, imp of satan! Haha, I am kidding, of course. ;D No worries, so-adorabloodthirsty. Anyway, yes, your name tends to come up a lot, does it not? You…fly off into the sun? The Green Sun? Come back to ME! :'(

…Zexionienzo, are you reviewing MY story, or are you eating sopor slime? I appreciate you patronage with the gratitude of sixty-nine crabby crabs, but…that chapter was mainly fluff. Thank you anyway, doll. ;) I love you, too.

DumpsterCat69/Emma (which do you prefer?), you bring about the fine point of my irregular updating habits. I update when I have any spare time, which I normally scrape together within a week. Also, Thank you, my lovely, for your thoughtful comments! Gee, you guys are giving me the fuzzies. ^^

Yes, Tavros is here, ladies and gentlemen, as exclaimed to the highest peaks of the Himalayas by dear, sweet, precious, lovely, sweet, dear aimlessNovelist. I like Tavros, and I hope to incorporate him into the story a bit better. }:) Yay, I kept all of my little pawns in character! :D Dirk…Dirk and his bizarre puppet.

As I have informed dear, sweet, pre- Wub A Dub Dub, shit is going down. Get ready, RAndOmanimefreak123, for it is coming…It is coming…. In the meanwhile, keep on keeping on, my friend. ;B

RikkuCandyBlood…you stayed up all night reading it?! You also favorited my story first (I saw you profile. By the way, I read all of my followers', favoriters', and reviewer's profiles)? You are entirely too kind, my reader, too kind! Oh, my story is not worth lack of sleep except on my own behalf. Aww, it is adorabloodthirsty (so-adorabloodthirsty, your name popped up again!)? :'D * huggles * (^-^)

I will give you more, mylove09. Be assured that more will come. ;P

Disclaimer: Need it be said? I do not, cannot, and will not own Homestuck.

Story time, kiddies! Gather 'round now, chilluns! (My weird 'southern talk', as it has been dubbed…)

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Seventeen:

The Inexorable Flow of Fate

It is long past the hour of Dirk's absurd puppet beatings and prosaic conversation with old friends. The gentle current of time washes us onto the banks of Karkat and John's after school hours, when they are alone with one another. We will be swept past the monotone murmurings of World Geography II, German II, Biology Advanced Honors II, and Physical Education with Doc Scratch, Jane Crocker, Jack Noir, and Karla Colvin respectively. Perhaps, these unfathomable persons of interest will be properly presented to the readers later. It is a distinct possibility, but not a definite promise. This issue is but a mere digression employed in a dry-humor endeavor to perplex the reader. Such is life.

An aperture in the abstract painting known as 'Reality' has slowly grown larger and larger, allowing us to spectate Karkat and John's misadventures. This aforementioned painting is framed in an idea so named 'Time'. Both Reality and Time are the elements of the gods, and as such, are not to be trifled with by the likes of mortal Man. It seems that another divine creature, other than the author, has corrupted the natural flow of Time, and has upset the precarious equilibrium of Reality. This sanguinary being, in her legendary existence, haunts the young trolls, even as they proceed with their lives on Earth.

Her Imperious Condescension manipulates the aspects of Time and Reality with her cruel slight of hand, and in strict sovereignty, the Condesce slyly plans the future of her empire. She alters the Reality in which her subjects live, and tempers with their timeline on a mere fanciful whim. Who is to halt her capricious desires? She may play all she likes with the little teenage trolls and such, for she is the most powerful entity in the cosmos. No trivial things like 'limitations' are going to impede her wicked designs. Her Imperious Condescension is the true definition of tyranny, as all trolls know, but humans are blissfully unaware of her genuine nature. The young species has yet to know the evils of an intergalactic dictator and her avaricious hunger for a new plaything to preside over.

The Condesce's effervescent fuchsia eyes penetrate the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy, seeking her soon-to-be conquest. Ah, what a lovely blue and green planet. Vast oceans envelop much of the undesirable masses of land and puffy masses of white hang suspended in the sky. If only Alternia had been as alluring as Earth. Unlike Alternia, this planet has vast, uncharted oceans and a strong essence of life. Alternia was dying, and she knew it. That is why colonization is of the utmost importance to her people. The fuchsia blood, pleased by the sight before her, laughes triumphantly, thinking of the new world she would create for her race.

As Her Imperious Condescension observed Earth, the omnipotent being known as the author observed her physique, as well as her behavioral patterns. Exotic fins protruded from the sides of the monarch's face, and were pierced with several golden earrings and gemstone studs. Gold armbands and bracelets that were imbedded with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, onyx, opals, amethysts, and topaz wound their way up her lean arms. The Condesce spared no expense on her lavish black and fuchsia attire, for it was a skin-tight, silken garment that clothed her slender form from neck to foot. Her most prized weapon, a golden trident twined with rare metals and encrusted with precious gems such bloodstones, moonstones, garnets, lapis lazuli, and obsidian, was propped up on her throne, which she was proudly seated in at the moment. Large pearls were set into all of her various gold ornamentations. Her long black tresses curled elegantly down to the floor, and tendrils of it waved to-and-fro behind her in a writhing mass. A priceless golden tiara with her royal sign adorned her head. Feferi Peixes, being her descendent, inherited the coveted symbol of her ancestor. It seemed that Feferi also inherited the Condesce's beauty and keenness as well.

The empress crossed her legs and folded her hands in her lap neatly. She sat aboard her royal ship, The Battleship Condescension, looking into the holographic model of the Milky Way Galaxy. More specifically, she gazed at Earth in all her ethereal beauty. A sensual smirk exposed serrated fangs that were as deadly as they were sharp. This was going to be such a simple conquest. By infiltrating the human population and learning their weaknesses from her little emissary, there was no chance for Man to oppose her.

A loud resonating ringing filled the spacious room she currently resided in. It was another call from her cerulean agent. Well, there seems to be a progress report to deliver.

The cunning fuchsia blood knew of the Thief's plans to usurp her throne, but she would play along with her ruse for now. Even after Mindfang's descendant's ascension, and that of her colleagues, The Condesce would play along. After all, there was still information to be attained, and the little cretin was sure to provide it.

She stood gracefully and walked to a large ornate desk at the other end of the room. The Condesce snatched the communication device from its surface and strode back to her throne.

She pressed the button and brought the device to her ear. A haughty tone breached her auditory sense as soon as she answered. _For_ _now_, thought the fuchsia monarch as the prattling girl spoke.

_For_ _now_.

~O~

"So you like to…_prank _people? What the hell do you mean by _prank_?" asked a slightly confused Karkat. John, attempting to explain his fondness of pranking and his 'Prank Master' status, went off on a tangent on Colonel Sassacre, author of _Colonel Sassacre's_ _Daunting Text of Magical Frivolity and Practical Japery. _Of course Karkat was unfamiliar with both the troglodytic idea of playing practical jokes and Colonel Sassacre. The poor, depraved Cancer has lived his entire life without knowing that beautiful bastard, and John has taken it upon himself to teach him about the ways of the Colonel. Karkat was not responding well to this 'lesson' in japery shit and Colonel Fuckwit Douchewaddigan. It had been a long day.

"Yep, pranking is, like, my hobby. I must say, I am pretty damn awesome at it, too," said John, grinning proudly. Karkat gave him a deadpan look, and he sighed. John could be so _human _sometimes.

"Well, 'Pranking Master', you have yet to prank me. When should I expect my ultimate humility? When should I begin to fucking grovel for you to spare me of your lame-ass humor? My auricular sponge clots are awaiting your shitty words of command to start kissing your ass," Karkat said sarcastically, rolling his crimson eyes at the derp.

"Hehe, you'll see, Karkat! I will get you…soon."

"Oh, I am _so _terrified right now. I think I just shit my pants out of fear."

"You should be very, _very, _afraid, Karkat."

The nubby-horned troll rolled over on his bed so that he was now lying on his stomach. He looked over at John, who was lying face up, and was looking at the ceiling thoughtfully. He was so relaxed and calm compared to the Cancer. Karkat squeezed his eyes shut and groaned internally. What the hell was he going to do about _this? _ He did not even know what _this _was, but it was _something _that was fucked up. It was driving him shithive maggots, and he loathed it. He loathed _him. _It was a pure loathing, not a romantic kind. Truly, it was a pure loathing that was not actually pure loathing; it was really the exact opposite.

~O~

Everything is falling into place exactly as it should transpire. Fate, in her infinite dominion over all things, never fails to spin the thread of Destiny, tie the knots of Discord, and sever the thread with the blade of Death. That is essentially what life is; it is a thread. It can be a short thread, a long thread, a jumbled thread, a straight thread, et cetera, et cetera. It all depends on what Fate decides.

The Condesce's thread of Life is considerably longer than that of any other mortal beings in the known reaches of the universe. Her reign is just as infinite. She flaunts it, but she does so elegantly. She is ever _so_ gracious to her loyal subjects. She is _such_ a magnificent queen. Who would ever think to overthrow her, besides those who despise the hemospectrum? Those who despise the hemospectrum happen to make up approximately seventy-seven percent of the total population of trolls. That seventy-seven percent is nothing but a number, a little resistance that could easily be pacified with a bit of subjugglation by the land dwelling purple bloods. The Condesce could always look to them to keep the lower caste in line. They could be such a bother sometimes, but no matter.

The empress contemplated her favorable situation as ruler of many worlds as her spy relayed information to her. This girl was such an arrogant wiggler. Putting up with her was laborious in and of itself, but she must endure it for a while longer if she is to receive any word of the supposed descendent of the Sufferer.

Her Imperious Condescension uttered a sound of displeasure at the mere thought of that wretch. If he were not a pariah of the lowest mutant blood in existence, she would doubtlessly have taken him for a kismesis. He had been rather handsome and saucy, and he had been intelligent, too. It was a shame that she had to have him executed for opposing her reign. Well, at least her current kismesis was alive and of a more acceptable blood color. Their kismesissitude was of the blackest kind, and it appeared that it would last, as long as she kept him alive. The fuchsia blood knew that he requited her caliginous lust; he just could not help but succumb to temptation. Her hatred burned blacker than the void in which her ship was now passing through, and he surely returned that detestation twofold.

"…Also, your descendent, Feferi fucking Peixes is a pansy, and has no right to share your royal blood. Clearly she is need of the most sanguinary culling. When it is time, she will go first, or maybe second, depending on my mood. Anyway, yes, the mutant is aware of his ancestor. Everyone else knows of theirs', I am certain, but I am not sure if they know of Vantas's…lineage. If I try to read their minds, they'll know, and if they know, they will likely kill me. Of course I could easily defeat all of them with my superior skill in combat, but it would cause an unnecessary scene," said a proud voice, interrupting the empress's thoughts. God could this cerulean talk. It was mind numbing to listen to her.

"What of the Megido child? Has she hindered your espionage? I know of her powers and her protective nature. If she interferes, kill her again. There is to be no hesitation."

"Of course, your majesty, indeed I will. No, she has not even suspected me," replied the Scorpio, baring her fangs. She would only have to wait for a while yet, and then she would ascend. She would ascend to the throne as the new monarch, and she would not be forced to do such ludicrous ass-kissing.

"Mmm, very good, child," said the queen, who was not fooled in the least.

"Yes, I know. I have been working _soooooooo _hard lately. I think my next report will be a bit later than usual. I will, in the meantime, gather more facts concerning each of my…_friends' _ancestors. Also, I will keep my eye on Vantas," the cerulean blood said conceitedly.

"Do so, spy, and carry out your duties faithfully. Within three week's time, I want a full report on the affairs of your colleagues and of any mutinous conceptions. If I have any reason to believe your accounts, then I will direct my ship on a course straight to Earth to deal with this new 'Sufferer'."

~O~

John sat up in his bed and studied Karkat's rigid form. Was something the matter? Maybe he should inquire about his odd behavior?

"John?"

Maybe not.

"Yeah, Karkat?"

"I just w-…never you mind, dumbass," mumbled Karkat petulantly.

"Hehe, what is it Karkat? Cat got your tongue?"

"Goddamn it, would you stop with the damn cat jokes?" expostulated the crabby troll.

"Never."

John stuck out his tongue tauntingly.

Karkat cracked his eye open and looked at John, who was still sticking his tongue out at him. His insolence was enough to drive the Cancer up the fucking wall. His tongue was so pink and gross looking. It was sickeningly intoxicating, and he loathed it. He loathed it so much that he was attracted to it. It was there, tempting the hell out of him. This was the strangest feeling…

Surely it was not caliginous? He had laid that to fucking rest. It was unrequited, first of all, second of all, his 'hate' was not romantic in any shape or form, no matter how you look at it.

Nope, it was definitely not ashen because that would be batshit asinine to even think about. The inception of that idea should have been nipped at the bud. That train of thought needs to be fucking destroyed right the fuck now.

The pale territory was already filled. That is all there is to say on the matter of this tomfoolery.

The flushed quadrant was…unfilled and…oh shit. Come on, John was a 'heterosexual' and whatever. Also, interspecies relationships do _not _fucking work. In addition to that, Karkat was positive that he did not have a flushed crush on _anyone_. At one point there was Terezi…but that was a sweep or so ago. Geez, people just cannot let that go.

It was clear to everyone that John belonged in _none_ of Karkat's quadrants, except to people with eyes.

~O~

"Very well, my queen. I will do as you so command," responded the spy in false respect. "Goodbye."

"Yes, yes, goodbye, Thief," the Condesce replied snappily, pressing a button on her communication device and ending the call.

"Thief? What the hell did she mean by that?" queried Vriska as she laid her mobile device on her bed. Eh, it must have been a minor Freudian slip. The old hag was bound to say some weird shit, considering her incredibly old age.

The Scorpio stretched and got up from her bed. She walked to her nightstand and unlocked the drawer. Inside, she saw the most detestable item she had ever laid eyes on. She had once battled a Flarper donning this offending piece of shit necklace. She ended up killing the poor bastard, and she kept the trinket. She kept it because it reminded her of _him, _and it also provided proof of the religion of old. The Condesce knew of it, so why reiterate old news? She had not told her 'dear queen' of her possession, and it was a good thing, too. Anyone with the slightest connection to this religion was sentenced to the gallows immediately, no questions asked.

Vriska took the necklace out of the drawer, her nose wrinkling in disgust, and she studied it. What looked like silver handcuffs of unique shape, or rather a six and a nine circling each other, hung from the well-crafted chain. It was the sign of the Signless, of the Sufferer. It was also the sign of her ex-flushed crush, Karkat. Fucking. Vantas.

~O~

Karkat rolled over suddenly and sat up, his back stiff and his visage tense. He did not know what the hell he was doing, but he figured it would settle his inner turmoil. Shit was going to go down. Shit was going to go down faster than a fucking freight train carrying ten tons of all the fucks Karkat gives.

"Karkat, are you feeling alright? You look sick; is anything the wrong at all?" asked John, who bit his bottom lip in concern. Liquid blue eyes met those of rich vermilion, and they lingered on one another in intense scrutiny. Eyes light as the air that they breathed sought to soothe the raging eyes that were as thick with red as the candy bloody coursing through the Cancer's veins.

"No, I am NOT feeling alright, and I am NOT sick, you miserable asshole! _Everything_ is fucking wrong with me, and I have no idea what the hell I am thinking right now. I think I am shithive maggots. You did this to me, fucknuts."

~O~

The Condesce sat on her throne, waiting. She was waiting for that damn report that was due in three weeks. She waited for news of her fated enemy. She waited for word of the troll who is said to be her demise.

~O~

You drive me fucking crazy, and I hate it so much! I hate _you so_ _much_ that I _don't _hate you!

~O~

Vriska sat on her bed, waiting. She gripped the necklace in her fist, and she waited. She waited for shit to go down. She waited to report to Her Imperious Condescension, albeit grudgingly. She waited for vengeance and her reward.

~O~

Why do you act so- why do- I just- oh Goddamn it, John!" Karkat spun on his heel and paced the room zealously.

~O~

They both waited, each for Time. They waited for an intangible notion that governs all, and yet nothing at all. Does Time really matter? What is the substance of Time? That is not an answerable question, but what of this enquiry: What is Fate?

~O~

Karkat spun around again and came face to face with a very perturbed John Egbert.

"What the hell do you want from me?" yelled the Cancer.

"Nothing! The question is, what is wrong with you and what do you want from _me_?" shouted John, who was fervently attempting to calm Karkat's ass right the fuck down. Karkat grabbed the front of John's shirt and brought his face within an inch of his own. The Cancer felt the surprised human's breath tickling his face. The sensation only drew Karkat is further. John's eyes grew wide, and he squirmed a bit at the close proximity. The words 'not a homosexual' flashed across his mind briefly, but they flickered and then disappeared into the dark recesses of his mind.

"First of all, that's two questions. And like I said, _everything_ is wrong with me," whispered Karkat right before he pressed his lips tenderly to John's.

* * *

Comments, revisions, and any other things of that nature are accepted graciously! ;D

Thank y'all for reading this far.


	18. The Eyes Are the Windows to the Soul

A/N: Dear readers, I think that I have contracted a lethal disease. It appears that you, the readers, reviewers, favoriters, and followers, have given it to me. This disease is so aptly named…_THE_ _FEELS_. I now have more than ONE HUNDRED REVIEWS! :D Thank you all so much!

Also, I passed Driver's Ed! I am so happy! :D

Yes, aimlessNovelist, a kiss! ;D I love you too, dearie, but I am afraid that it just would not work out between us…. I am sorry, love. Hehe, do not die on me; continue to read my story! No, wait not th- you just had a life-threatening nosebleed. Oh God, someone call 911!

Oh, I am so sorry 21lillian21! I did mean to make it a bit obscure, but I did not mean to confuse you. Thank you for sticking with it, even though it is scattered and messy. Ugh, Biology sucks, plain and simple! However, you should take notes, even if it bores you to tears…. Wait, what the hell am I saying? :?

This is only the beginning of the juiciness, tavbaby (Guest). ;) Only the beginning…

Midori! :D Aww, such a waste of chocolate milk! For shame! Thank you for your enthusiastic support of the story. I am aware that I made it confusing, and I apologize. :( Also, I did enjoy adding the Condesce into the story, even if she can be a huge bitch. Keep thinking, Midori-chan! Write like the wind! :D

And spazzy he will be, Wub A Dub Dub. Your "I-Am-Secretly-A-Homosexual" senses will be put to the test, heheh. ;3

Well, DumpsterCat69, of course I can leave it there; I am the all-powerful author! Mwahahaha! :D Now you will know. Proceed!

Zexionienzo, I think you had a feel-splosion. I feel really happy knowing that my story can cause such a reaction! :) Ah, I thought y'all might like the Condesce, but damn her! Even I am frustrated at her interference in the story, and I am the one who put her in it! :S So my style has changed for the better? If so, I am glad! :3

Okay, you guys, RikkuCandyBlood has inspired a new code word for fanfiction; it is…'fabrics' (misspell of fanfiction, I gather. I love it!). Seriously though, I appreciate your loyalty to my story! I am honored that you hold it in such high regard as opposed to the other the fanfictions out there. :'D I think my heart is bursting with _feels. _

Randomstrike, your many reviews are loved and valued! I think I cracked up when I read your review about that 'sexy piece of English ass'! XD Also, I think I can hear your fangirl banshee squeal from here…

Disclaimer: If I did own it, then ALL the ships would sail. ALLLLLLLL of them. ;3

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Eighteen:

The Eyes Are the Windows to the Soul

Karkat's lips melded almost perfectly with John's.

_What the hell is happening to me? I…I am not a homosexual…I…. _John thought as Karkat kissed him. He found that he could not instill the energy needed to resist Karkat's advances in his deadened limbs. He felt limp, and he suspected it had something to do with this sloppy makeout that he was currently a part of.

In truth, it was pleasant. The troll's lips were chapped, but it felt good to his own perfectly smooth pair. Karkat tasted like wild cherries, raspberries, and a whole plethora of other red fruits that drove the blue-eyed boy insane. He also tasted a hint of the autumnal rain that was to come that evening. It was fresh and sharp on his lips, and it made him want more, however sinful it may be. John allowed his eyes to close, giving in to the temptations of desire. John allowed his hands to rest on Karkat's shoulders. It felt so amazing to be this near to the troll and to be this intimate with him.

In short, John's first kiss was not altogether a negative experience, despite the fact that a _male_ was kissing him. Of course, in the moment, that only seemed like a minor problem that could be overlooked.

_What the hell am I even doing? _Karkat pondered this inquiry as he deepened the kiss. He slowly slid one hand up John's thigh and let it rest on the boy's hip while the other still had the front of the derp's shirt in a firm grip, keeping them in close proximity. The blue-eyed boy tasted unearthly; it was the sweetest mix of apples and vanilla. It was intoxicating and heavenly, and he wanted it to linger on his taste buds forever. What had this idiotic human done to him? He was already a fucking mutant that was not worthy of any matesprit in the known universe, but now he was making out with the derpiest human to ever walk the Earth. He had stooped low, but he was pretty okay with that.

The Cancer tilted his head to the side so as to make the kiss more comfortable for the both of them. John was not abjuring his advance, so Karkat assumed that he could continue this rather pleasant activity known as 'making out with the heterosexual guy who you think you might love a little tiny bit'.

Wait…_love _a tiny little bit? Love was not even in the damn picture. It is _like_, dumbass.

John finally recovered some of his previously absent senses, and he attempted to communicate to Karkat in a coherent fashion. "Mmmfh, Kar- Karka- mmf!"

His attempts were in vain.

"Shut _up, _John," Karkat growled huskily, breaking the lip-lock for a moment to chastise him. This shut him up quite effectively. That voice was a hell of a turn on, but John would never admit that. That is just…_ew_.

John squirmed and twisted, trying to break free from Karkat's grip. The now smirking Cancer could tell that the protests were half-assed.

Karkat nipped his bottom lip, drawing the slightest iota of blood and causing John to gasp. The Cancer took this golden opportunity to slip his tongue past John's lips. John moaned involuntarily at this intrusion as Karkat began flicking his tongue along his teeth and tongue. The Cancer's tongue rhythmically caressed John's own, making John's knees grow weak. Karkat backed the derp into a wall and pinned his wrists to the obstruction. The troll broke the kiss and looked into John's eyes, searching for any sign of disgust or abhorrence.

What he saw was even worse.

He saw trepidation and rejection.

Seeing that in his flushed crush's eyes simply broke him. This is what he _thought_ he saw, but the paranoia of actually seeing these things wormed its way into his thinkpan. Karkat failed to see what John really felt for him. He let the boy's wrists go, and he fell to his knees. What had he _done?_

"K-Karkat, I-"

"Save it, John. I know how you fucking feel about me now."

"No, but-"

"John, just shut the hell up."

"Just listen to me, Karkat! I just w-"

Karkat rose to his feet, cutting off John once again. This had happened so fast, and he had fucked everything up in a matter of minutes…

His despair morphed to rage in an instant.

"Shut the _fuck up,_ John! You told me how you feel not with your words, but with your damn eyes. You hate me, and you are afraid of me. I never- I would _never _hurt you, damn it! You are SO stupid, I hate you, I hate you, I fucking HATE you!"

With that, Karkat shoved past John, who was frantically trying to prevent him from absconding. The troll fled the dorm and ran out into cold, twilit world. The rain was just beginning to come down. He did not feel the encroaching storm. He did not feel the cold. He did not feel the biting wind and the rocks beneath his bare feet. He only felt…

Alone.

~O~

"Karkat! Karkat, where _are_ you? I'm Sorry!" yelled John as he raced out into the now full-fledged thunderstorm. He did not care about slogging through mud and combating the cold; he only cared about finding Karkat.

After Karkat ran out of the dorm, John had stood there in the middle of the room. His fingers absently traced his lips where Karkat's had touched them. They tingled with a burning sensation that still plagued the boy's mind, even as he searched for the troubled troll.

"I-I'm so sorry," he whispered, coming to a stop to catch his breath. It was becoming progressively colder and windier. The darkening sky cast the world in a spectral glow. The rain came down upon the land in sheets, drenching every inch of the school grounds. John stood, looking around and trying to establish where the hell he was. He saw nothing save for a copse of formless trees and the dimming sky above.

John coughed and wiped the rain from his glasses. Where did he go? Where would a pissed off, nubby-horned troll go? Oh God, was he still out in this storm?

The blue-eyed boy continued his search in the squall. Running this way and that, he looked for Karkat. He searched near the school buildings and around nearby dorms, but he did not find his friend. John tasted the rain on his tongue, and it reminded him of the kiss. It reminded him that the troll, after only days of knowing him, meant a lot to him. He had to find him and apologize or at least make sure he was safe.

He ran through the fields, groves, and thickets that were within the perimeter of the campus. He even looked near a cleft in a rocky hillside that he sometimes liked to hide in to read or to think. He found nothing.

As he ran by the cafeteria, he saw the tree that he and Karkat had resided under earlier that day. His heart ached as he glanced at that place of peace. Now the tree was swaying in the gale, creaking and moaning eerily. John stopped to look at it. raindrops streamed down his face. To any onlooker, it may have seemed like he was crying. It may have appeared that he was crying for someone lost. It was a lachrymose sight that held an intangible meaning unidentifiable to the greatest of abstract artists. It was a swelling of passion that overcame the raging storm and her wild howls. The tempest of the human soul warred against the chaos of the thunderstorm, and it ultimately won. The squall would not hinder John, not from Karkat.

Sprinting to the tree, John stumbled and fell on his face in the most ungraceful manner conceivable. Mud caked his front, and his glasses were slightly askew and bent. With scraped hands and knees, John got back to his feet, and jogged on. He finally made it to the base of the tree, and he began checking the large crevices and nooks in the large tangle of knotted roots. He staggered halfway around the tree and was almost ready to go off searching in another direction when he saw it.

A little shivering mass of black hair, black and grey fabric, nubby horns, and swearing was curled up in the far reaches of the largest niche in the root system. John let out a shaky breath, and he got down on his hands and knees. Slowly, he inched his way forward so as not to alarm the troll. He got within a few feet of said troll without being detected. He kneeled there, staring at the trembling Cancer. He had caused this, and he would be damned if he was not going to fix it.

John reached out, and he gently laid his hand on Karkat's arm. When the nubby-horned troll showed no signs of resisting, let alone taking notice of the contact, John wrapped his arms around Karkat and held him. They both shivered from the cold and the wet, but John kept a tight hold on Karkat.

John suddenly felt a pair of thin arms snake around his shoulders. Karkat lifted his head up to where John could see his bloodshot eyes.

"J-John?" came a quivering voice that was riddled with shock.

"Shh, Karkat. J-Just be q-quiet for once."

"You f-fucking idiot, didn't I t-tell you that I-I hated you?"

"Well, y-you _said _that. You didn't m-mean it, though."

"I hate y-you for being r-right."

They then sat there in silence and held one another as the storm raged on. Soon, water began flooding the small nook that they were holed up in.

"W-We have to get out of here, K-K-Karkat," John murmured.

"I d-don't fucking want t-to," retorted the Cancer, who now buried his head in John shoulder in a feeble pursuit of a source of warmth.

"You're c-coming w-with me, whether y-you like it or not!"

With this said, John shoved Karkat into the open. He hoisted the protesting troll into his arms, and he stood. John struggled to hold on to Karkat, but he managed to stumble a few feet before collapsing. Karkat wriggled free from John's grasp, and he staggered to his feet.

"Idiot," he said as he strained to get the derp off the ground. Once they were both upright, they began to make their way back to their dorm room. The two had their arms around each other's shoulders, and their bodies close to keep warm.

The sky continued to weep and lament as John and Karkat slowly made their way across the campus.

~O~

"Karkat, I'm sorry, but I am not a homosexual," John muttered as he sat down on the couch in the living room. When they made it back to their dorm, they had each taken showers, cold ones, mind you, and they had changed into warm clothing. They were almost certainly sick from the extreme cold and the rain.

Karkat sat down beside him and looked down at his feet.

"Yes you are, dumbass."

John was taken aback at the statement. He turned toward Karkat to protest the deadpan declaration.

"I am pretty sure I-"

"I don't think a 'straight guy', as you humans put it, would kiss another guy back, would he? You kissed me _back _for whatever reason_. _Your actions spoke louder than your words. I guess I should have just looked harder for your real feelings instead of making up shit. All I know is, you kissed me back, and that's what counts."

"I-I did no such thing," John stuttered, blushing. He knew that he had relished that kiss. He even enjoyed Karkat's taste. He was beginning to wonder about the now blurred line between homosexuality and straightness. It was confusing, and he just wanted everything to be normal again. It had been easier before he knew Karkat. He knew exactly what he wanted and what he should be, but now everything was a whirling batshit pandemonium. He loved every second of this, yet he hated the uncertainty of it all. It was maddening.

"Yes, you did, and you know it."

It was hard.

It was hard being a teenager that was confused about his sexual persuasion.

It was hard, and no one understands.

John finally snapped. He snapped, and there was no going back.

Fuck this. Fuck the whole world. What was the damn point anymore? Was there one to begin with?

"Well, so _what_ if I did? So _what _if I liked it just a little bit more than I should? I fucking kissed you back. And remember what you said earlier? About me hating and fearing you? Well, that is so damn wrong, you don't even know! It's the complete opposite, you fuckass!" John shouted, eyes blazing. Karkat merely stared in total surprise at John's outburst. "I'm not a homosexual, Karkat, but I like you, okay?"

"I- wait, what?"

"You heard me, Karkat."

"You… _like me, _but you aren't a homosexual? What the hell? I am getting mixed signals here, John. I thought- but- homosexuals are attracted to the same sex, correct? Then what the fuck is up with your last statement? That was so contradictory that my thinkpan is imploding from its stupidity. My conclusion is this: you are a sexually confused human derp, and you are also an asinine fuckwit."

"Karkat."

"What, John?"

"Can you accept the fact that I might like you back?"

"Who ever said I really had flushed feelings for you? I never _said _that. I only kissed you to see if I do in fact like you. It turns out that I don't."

"Yes you did, stupid," John said, giggling a little. He was tired of being so sad and confused about things like relationships and sexual orientation. Maybe it was time to change.

"I _never_ _said_ _that_," said the grumpy troll, looking up at John in a huff.

John grabbed Karkat by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes. He leaned in to where he was only a centimeter away from the Cancer's lips, and then he spoke.

"Yes you did. Do you want to know how you told me?"

John closed the miniscule gap between their lips, albeit hesitantly. Karkat let one hand cup John's face as they kissed. They broke apart after a moment, each blushing from the intimate contact. John smiled, showing off his buckteeth to the world.

"Your eyes told me."

* * *

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you guys enjoyed this emotional chapter, however stupid it may be.

Please inform me of any mistakes or confusing parts. I was up until two in the morning writing, so be warned of any glaringly obvious mistakes.

I love y'all! 3


	19. Ensconced in Regret?

A/N: This story is just getting warmed up! ;)

A cool theory indeed, I saw the word (Guest). Just wait a bit, there are more theories to come. Hehe. ;3

My goodness, RikkuCandyBlood, I think my Feel-o-meter is exploding from your review! You reread my fabric? 3 By the by, I actually went back and edited the crap out of all of the chapters. Anyway…you give me huggles AND live cosplaying trollurkeys?! My friend, I am honored. Good Lord, I love you guys! :B

The Feels are contagious, I am telling you! Even dear so-adorabloodthirsty has contracted it! Wow, I guess I am not the only one who is too lazy to login sometimes. We can die of fluff and laziness together! :P Not the ideal death…

WOO! Yayyy. Good reviewer. I mean, great reviewer. ;) Those few exclamations said it all, Wub A Dub Dub.

RAndOmanimefreak123, noooooooooooooo! Do not leave me! Do not die! :'( I will never forget you, dearie, never! ;A;

AllThe LovelyBrains, d'awww, thank you. You flatter me, darling, and I find to be too much! Sexy time is coming, albeit in a while, but it is still coming! I was hoping I retained my ability to write characters well, and I suppose I have, according to your awesome review. :D I hope your Thanksgiving was superb as well!

Oh my gosh, Midori (AbbiMei), not you too! I am infecting _everyone _with feels, am I not? I will write on, as you so will it! In your memory, this story will go on! XD Also, I apologize for not answering any of your emails (if you have emailed me), but my laptop will not receive them!

Oh confound it all! Thank you so much for pointing out that embarrassing mistake, DumpsterCat69! I do not know what I would do without reviewers like you. Also, I _am _a dumbass sometimes. I can be really, really dense, but people accept me anyway. :B Of course I respond! I cannot ignore the feels and leave you hanging.

Best reaction story ever, Zexionienzo, tell it again. ;D You printed it out? You wasted precious paper on my story? I feel important! No- No wait, do not die! I am a mass murderer, it seems. I am killing off fangirls one by one, and…I cannot deal with that! Come back to me! By the way, I hope you picked up the papers; if homophobes, let alone non-Homestucks and non-fangirls got a hold of that, all hell would break loose. 0_o' Well, I am certainly delighted that you loved it so much! :D

Kawaii feels to all, Randomstrike! :3

Disclaimer: Oh, to be Andrew Hussie…

I am SOOOOO sorry for the delay, but my lousy stupid Goddamn laptop would not let me post. I do not think I can open my email either…

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Nineteen:

Ensconced in Regret?

"Oh God. What have I done?" John whispered to himself as he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. Last night's events replayed in his mind, every detail vivid, crisp, and unforgettable. Karkat's essence was fresh in his mind, and he craved the Cancer's presence. Every caress of the lips, every touch, every look was embedded in his brain, and he could still feel everything he had felt then as he sat there in the dark. It was just too surreal, but he knew it had happened. It was…extraordinarily lovely in the most sinful ways imaginable. Damn, he wanted more.

No, there had been no sex, however suggestive the previous description of the night before was, but there _had_ been sloppy makeouts in abundance. The readers should drag their filthy minds out of the gutter this instant.

John thought back to the day prior, reliving the last half of the school day that the readers had been excluded from. It had seemed so _normal_ up until the late hours that came after school.

~O~

The blue-eyed boy thought of the odd fellow who taught World Geography II, which had been the next class for him and Karkat. The old windbag always dressed smartly in his customary white suit and green suspenders and tie. The guy may have been a snazzy dresser, but his teaching was 'piss-poor', as Karkat so aptly put it. Doc Scratch, a pale, bald-headed man in his early thirties had lectured the class in his arrogant voice, its monotonous droning never ceasing. Doc's epithet used by all students was Cue Ball. Terezi, being her strange, blind self, called him Mr. Vanilla Milkshake. It was oddly fitting.

Doc had told them of his proud ancestors who founded the town of Scratch a century ago. It was long-winded and boring, but it mercifully ended as the bell rang. John had trudged off to his next class, which was French II. He saw Karkat off to his language class, which was German II with Jane Crocker.

He had greeted Jane with a hug and a grin. They exchanged quick jokes and laughs as they stood in the doorway to her classroom. They had the most vicious rivalry in the pranking department anyone has ever seen. They were simply the best there was at pranks, and everyone knew it. It was a war of the pranksters, but it was friendly and fun.

John hugged her tightly, allowing his head to rest on her shoulder. Jane, in her boyish baggy shirt and her short blue skirt, danced teasingly away from John as she was released from their embrace. She looked at him fondly, remembering the days of his boyhood when he refused to let her out of his arms. She missed that time, but she supposed that it had to end at some point. She tilted her head to the side, her short hair swishing into her pale blue eyes and knocking her glasses askew. If Jake English was John's brother, this was his twin sister, or maybe his stepmother. She was like Jade to him, except Jane acted as more of a maternal figure in his life. She had always been there, holding him when he needed comfort, soothing him when he needed a voice of reason. She was special to him.

He bid her farewell and left Karkat to her, hoping that he was at least tolerant of Jane.

John had sat through French II, thoroughly bored by Ms. Paint's slideshow presentation of the French language and its history. She was a kindly, sweet lady, with her plump, rosy cheeks and demure grey eyes, but French was boring as hell. Fifth period slid by, much like a half-dead slug on a sidewalk in the midsummer heat.

Lunch began as fifth period ended. Lunch consisted of John and Karkat sitting among all of their troll and human friends, laughing and taunting one another. It had been fun. The only trolls that were not present were the last two trolls that have not been introduced as of yet, Sollux, and also Vriska. She had not even attempted to sit with the group, which would have immediately turned her away and spat diatribes of hatred if she had tried something of that sort. All hell would have broken loose, and apparently, Spider Bitch was smart enough to avoid rousing the rage of her 'friends'.

After lunch, John remembered that Biology Advanced Honors II with Karkat had been fun. Jack Noir, the Biology instructor, had shown them how to dissect a frog. Jack was a dark skinned man with jet-black hair, dark eyes, and black clothing that cloaked his intimidating form. He seemed almost sinister, what with his dark looks and his affinity for slicing things open in reckless abandon. The 'dissecting' was little more than beheading the frog with a large knife and then ripping it apart, but it had nonetheless been entertaining.

Then there had been Physical Education. Karla Colvin was not one to be trifled with, and Karkat seemed the figure this out as soon as he laid eyes on her formidable figure. The stocky woman was lightly tanned, and her defined leg and arm muscles were quite prominent. Her thin brown hair was short and cut very precisely. Her amber eyes glared at all of the students who walked in the Gymnasium, whether they were early or late. As soon as everyone had dressed out and stretched, she made them all run suicides and do several lunges. Being very out of shape, John and Karkat had lagged behind a bit.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. That was when Karkat and John made their way back to the dorm, and commenced the events that even now plagued the boy's mind.

~O~

"Mmmff," came a muffled utterance from the troll's bed. Karkat was still curled into a tight ball, sleeping soundly for the most part. For the first time since his arrival, the troll had had a pleasant dream. It was peaceful and soft in his thinkpan.

Gentle images danced across his dream self's vision. There were golden towers everywhere, and there were people with skin as pure as porcelain milling around under the tower the Cancer was currently in. The sky was serene and untainted, its blank blue canvas dotted with plump white dollops that passed lazily overhead. The gleaming spires of the city rose into the air like golden thorns. The purest diamonds and pearls adorned the minute carvings in the architecture. It was a glittering heaven. Karkat felt compelled to leave his tower of gold, and fly away into the luminous city that lay before him. He did just that.

Karkat rose into the air by merely willing it to occur. He floated out of the window of the tower, and he looked about, taking in the city and its occupants. The strange citizens looked up at him quizzically, and they then cried out in delight upon recognizing him. The troll heard faint cheers of 'The Hero is awake! Long live our Knight!'. Thoroughly puzzled by his new epithet, he flew down to the streets of the city and gently touched down. The porcelain creatures surrounded him immediately, trying to get a good look at him.

"Our Knight is awake, just as the prophecy foretold millennia ago!"

"Someone, anyone, inform the White Queen! She must know of this development!"

"The Hero of Blood is here!"

Karkat looked around in utter confusion at the respect and awe written in their eyes. They were almost _worshipping _him.

"What the fu-"

The dream suddenly dissolved into a blur of gold, white, and blue, and then everything faded to an inky black.

Karkat woke up.

~O~

Karkat's eyes snapped open, and he sat up in bed. What the hell was the 'Knight' or the 'Hero of Blood'? What had those porcelain people been talking about? Why had he had a pleasant dream in the first place?

The confused troll glanced around the room, wide-eyed, until his vermillion eyes came upon John's figure. The boy was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at the floor. Karkat wrinkled his nose, remembering the events of the night before. It was _absolutely terrible _what he and John had done, but the Cancer could not say that he did not enjoy it immensely. God, John was an amazing kisser. Of course, the stubborn troll would never admit that aloud.

Karkat was snapped out of his fantasies when John began to speak. "Karkat? I…I need to talk to you."

"Um, what's up?" asked the troll. Was he regretting their intimacy? Pfft, probably. That naïve moron still did not get it, did he?

"I just- I- ugh, why can't I say it? I don't know why I'm so confused. I..I just think that we shouldn't tell anyone about _this, _okay? It would be weird and stuff, you know? I've always been 'straight as an arrow', but if the guys knew that we _kissed, _then everything would get complicated," said John, babbling and blushing profusely.

"Why the fuck would I tell anyone that I'm flushed for a human of all things? It is disgusting, and it is fucking wrong on so many levels. I guess we agree that we shouldn't tell anyone, but now my question is: how do you feel about me, now that you have had time to think about last night and all the lovely shit we went through?" Karkat said, propping himself up on his elbows and leaning back on them.

John looked at Karkat, his expression unreadable. The blue-eyed derp smiled softly then, and he closed his eyes as if making up his mind. It was time to try something new. "I don't regret kissing you, no matter how gay it was. You…make me happy, Karkat."

The troll looked down and sighed in mock resignation.

"Well if that's the Goddamn case, then I guess you have to be my matesprit, John, but only since you insist. You are so fucking demanding," there was a long pause in which Karkat flipped over onto his stomach in order to hide his blushing face in his pillow. "You make me kinda happy, too, you bucktoothed idiot."

"Your matesprit? Isn't that like, the equivalent of a boyfriend or something?" asked John.

"Yeah, I guess it is," responded the troll, nuzzling his face even further into the pillow. "What do you say, John? I'm already as fucked up, so I might as well try to fuck myself up even more."

"Well, I suppose we'll be matesprits, or whatever the heck it is. It's just _weird. _I am still not a homosexual, really. At least I don't think so. Karkat, do you thi-"

"John."

"Uh, yeah?"

"Shut the hell up."

"Okay, Karkat."

John, still not sure what to think about all of '_this', _as he had put it earlier, got up and looked back at Karkat's prone form. He smirked and poked the troll, earning a grumble of annoyance and a middle finger.

"Well, let's not dwell on this all day, okay? Come on, it's time to get ready for school!"

With that, the boys got dressed, although not without minor discomfort due to their wandering eyes. Karkat caught John staring at his backside as he was changing into his jeans. The deep blushed approximately fifty shades of red, and then he wheeled around, only to stumble and face plant into the wall. karat stifled a snort as he watched his matesprit recover. Poor John was fumbling with his pants, and Karkat was swearing at his uncooperative shirt. It was quite an ordeal getting dressed, but they finally succeeded, nonetheless.

As John went to exit their dorm room, Karkat grabbed the derp's hand and mumbled something along the lines of 'Resist, and your hand comes off. I swear to God, John'. John furrowed his brow and glanced down at their hands.

Should he…

_No_.

There was no regret.

John smiled gently and looked at Karkat, who was standing there, waiting for John to make a move. The two stared at one another, neither glancing away. Finally John did make a move. It was a move of acceptance.

He entwined their fingers, allowing slate-grey to mingle with pale white.

Karkat squeezed John's hand and looked away abashedly. He muttered something that John did not quite catch.

"What was that, Karkat?"

"I said do you..."

"What? I still didn't hear you."

"I SAID DO YOU REGRET BEING WITH ME AT ALL?" shouted the Cancer, his eyes flashing.

John laughed and nervously pecked the fuming troll on the cheek. He was slowly but surely getting the hang of this 'kissing thing'.

"Nope, no regrets."

* * *

This...was purely filler. I am sorry about such a long delay, but it simply could NOT be helped! :( Please forgive me, dearies!

Drop me a line if you get a chance!


	20. The Phantom of Skaia Academy

A/N: I am sorry for neglecting you guys! I have had midterms to study for in recent weeks, and I have also had a lot of hunting to do. Also…I have been working my ass off to finish my Latin quizzes. -_-

I certainly hope the last chapter was indeed a 'killer' in this case, adorabloodthirsty (I am too lazy to go back and change stuff like that as well). The cuteness will continue! ;)

I am glad that everyone thinks the last update was cute! Zexionienzo, you seem to especially like it…. No, do not die! Ugh, let us see, that must be the twentieth fangirl I have killed. -_-' Oops… You still have the papers? Good, good! Well, I have gone back and tweaked all of the chapters, so I suggest reprinting if you are in fact going to reread my little story. FEEEEEEEELSSSSSS! :D

Wub A Dub Dub, you find it adorable as well? I guess it unanimous, then!

No worries, AbbiMei, I got my email working again, and I can actually reply to you now! :3 Anyway, yes, the dream was a bit of foreshadowing…mwahahahahaha. Ah, more adorabloodthirsty-ness! It shall not cease!

BWaA: Hiya, 21lillian21!

?: yes, hell0

BWaA: Hey, you are not supposed to show up yet, silly!

?: 0h well

BWaA: Uh, could you, like, leave?

?: n0

BWaA: 0_0

?: 0_0

RAndOmanimefreak123, you have returned to me! Thank goodness! ;3 Also, yes….fifty shades of red it will be…later…hehehe. ;D

Fillers, fillers, filler galore, DumpsterCat69! :)

**Important note: ** Our little Aries is visible as a ghost.

Disclaimer: 0_0

0_0

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Twenty:

The Phantom of Skaia Academy

As soon as Karkat and his matesprit were within the field of vision of other intelligent life forms, they let go of one another's hands and looked away from each other. John pulled his fluffy wool scarf snuggly around his neck whilst the nubby-horned troll shoved his hands in his jacket's pockets. The duo awkwardly walked up the path to the school facility, troll and human glancing at everything but each other. Karkat brushed against John, causing the derp to leap a few feet away from him. Karkat sighed and muttered something along the lines of 'stupid fucking wiggler'.

Once inside their first hour class, the Cancer and the blue-eyed boy unpacked their things and retrieved their speeches from the dark recesses of their backpacks. The bell rang, and everyone filed in, ready to goof off and do absolutely nothing. Roxy was perched on her desk, primly sipping a martini. She gazed at the class over the rim of her martini glass, and she then waved at her students to work on their speeches.

Just as John and Karkat settled down enough to actually get some Goddamn work done, a knock was heard at the door. A heavily accented, obnoxious voice was heard over the din of the knocking. Strangely enough, his 'double-ues' and 'v's' were pronounced with such stress, John pictured every word with a 'double-u' or a 'v' present with an extra one tacked on. It was highly amusing yet disturbingly weird at the same time. Labial issues are normally not something to make light of, but in this case, it was all too hilariously idiotic.

"Human teacher, you in there? Some wwoman advvised me to come here, so I'm comin' in. "

"Yep, come on in, whoever you are," said Roxy.

A tall hipster troll entered the classroom. Yes, he was indeed a _hipster_ troll. His black, thick-framed glasses were perched on his upturned nose, looking awkward on his thin, borderline gaunt, face. Several gold rings encrusted with precious gems adorned his fingers. The troll's strange, fin-like protrusions stemming from his face resembled Feferi's own. Speaking of the heiress, the poor girl was hiding her face in her hands, waiting for the weird troll to go away. The aforementioned 'weird troll' smirked, his violet eyes glinting.

Karkat groaned audibly, allowing his head to slam against his desk.

"It's that violet-blooded fuckmunch, Ampora. John, kill me now," Karkat said, growling the last bit in mock desperation. John stifled a giggle as the source of Karkat's animosity made his way to Roxy's desk and addressed the intoxicated woman. The violet blood, John noticed, had on strange blue and black striped pants and a snazzy black shirt with two squiggly violet lines, which appeared to be reminiscent of the zodiacal sign of the Aquarius. Dangling from his scrawny neck was a striped scarf, which only looked out of place on the troll. The guy's horns curved upward slightly then sloped back in a crooked shape. In his jet-black, shaggy hair, there was a single violet streak that John could not help but stare at for a solid three minutes. And then there was that stupid high-collared purple cape. He was just…_weird _and _gaudy _to an extreme.

He looked like a fucking tool.

"I got transferred to this class. Apparently I wwas a distraction. You're Roxy, my speech teacher, right?"

"That would be me, Mr. Fish Face," Roxy replied, tilting her head and winking.

"Don't fuckin' call me that, human filth," the 'Fish Face' troll replied, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

Roxy sniggered and turned to the class. "Yo, everyone, this is Eridan Ampoora. No wait; I meant Ampura. Yeah, tha' was it," she slurred.

"Yes, I'm Eridan _Ampora. _I just happen to be in the upper echelons a my society, so I suggest that you guys treat me like the royalty that I am," said this 'Eridan' figure in a haughty tone. Eridan's eyes scanned the room, searching for an empty seat. He caught sight of Feferi and started forward eagerly, but he realized that there were no empty seats near her. Instead, the Aquarius trudged up to the chair behind Karkat and sat down.

Everyone stared…and stared.

Then, all at once, no fucks were given.

Everyone went back to work, including the derp and his curmudgeony Cancer.

"Psst, Kar. Hey, Kar."

"What the fuck do you want, Ampora? I swear if you start whining about Feferi, that shitty cape is going up your nook."

"I havven't seen y- oh, mother a fuckin' pearl! Your eyes…"

"_What_ about my eyes, you sea-dwelling nincompoop?"

"They're- then that means you're- but that-"

"Oh my God, shut the hell up."

"Kar, you're a fuckin' mutant! Howw am I _supposed_ to react? You're filthy, malformed, land-dwwelling scum."

Karkat sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to keep his already massive headache from splitting his skull open. John looked at him sympathetically, but he then grimaced when he saw the weird fish-troll staring at him. It was disconcerting and creepy. His body felt violated.

"Look, you infinitely douchey asshat, haven't you noticed? We are on a whole other Goddamn planet. Build a fucking bridge, and try to get over it. If you can't overlook it, then I hope your sad attempt at building a bridge collapses, and you go down with it is a flaming shitstorm of your own bullshit," the Cancer snarled, his candy-red eyes flashing.

"…Wwho else knowws?" inquired the Aquarius, restraining his urge to cull the foul-mouthed troll. Ever since Feferi annulled their moirallegiance, his murderous inclination has been growing stronger each day. Having a candy blood insult him with every pejorative slur known to trolls and humans was not helping his urges in the least.

"Pretty much everyone in the free fucking world, except maybe Megido, but I think she most likely knows," Karkat responded.

"And Vvris didn't try to cull you?"

"Oh, she almost succeeded, actually."

"I thought so."

"It was hard not to see that coming."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Karkat paused before he continued. This situation could either diffuse, or it could detonate, depending on the answer to his next query.

"So, do _you _plan to cull me?"

"Not unless the Condesce officially orders me to. I guess I'll let you off the hook for noww. You're lucky that you're my friend, Kar, otherwwise, you'd be fish bait." Eridan was hesitant as he said this. It _was _pretty unusual for him to show mercy like this. It _definitely _was _not _because he was waxing a little red for the Cancer. That would be unequivocally absurd.

John interjected at this point, hoping to steer the flaming wreckage of the conversation into safer, shallower waters.

"So, you know Karkat from when you were still on your planet, Alternia?"

"An' wwho might you be?" The violet blood countered, rounding on John.

"Uh, I'm Karkat's boyf- I mean ma- oh, Goddamnit, I am his roommate, John Egbert," said the stuttering derp. He thrust his hand at Eridan to shake. The aforementioned troll gingerly took the offered limb, shook it quickly, and then snatched his hand away as if thoroughly disgusted.

"As you knoww, I am Eridan Ampora. An' yeah, I knew Kar back on Alternia," said the Aquarius.

"That's cool. So, I am guessing you are friends with all the other trolls, too?"

"You could say that."

"…Um, okay. I'm just going to work on my speech, if you don't mind. I'm sure you and _Kar _have a lot to catch up on. Nice to meet you!" With that, John dove back into his work, pointedly keeping his eyes glued to his blank paper while the Cancer and the Aquarius stared at him. God, John was just so smooth when it came to conversing with other living creatures.

Eridan turned to Karkat, who sighed dejectedly.

"So, how's it going with Feferi?"

"Wwell, she wwon't talk to me, an' she cringes when she sees me. I asked Kan for advvice, but she just told me to go fix it myself. I also tried askin' Nep about it, but she avvoided the subject. I wwas hopin' you'd help me out. Fef just doesn't understand howw perfect wwe'd be together as matesprits. She's just _gotta _realize that those 'wweird feelings' she says she has about me are flushed feelings. Ugh, it's hard, Kar. It's hard havving a naïvve flushed-crush, and no one understands!" Eridan exclaimed in a whiny voice.

"Jegus, no wonder she gave up on a moirallegiance with you. You are acting like a Goddamn wiggler, Ampora. Stop pestering people about your relationship problems, and start fixing your terrible personality. You honestly think that she is flushed for you after being told that you are more trouble than you're worth? Do you _hear_ yourself? And after all the work she put into making you happy and content, you think she is fucking 'naïvve'? I just- you know what? Here is my 'advvice' to you: go fuck yourself. Don't bother her anymore with your complaining, you asshole," snapped Karkat, who was royally pissed off by Eridan's whiny voice and idiotic drivel. It was about time that this tomfoolery was dealt with.

"B-but- I don't- Kar! Howw can you say that; Fef still has feelings for me…right? No one understands, not evven you.

"Ampora, please just shut the fuck up and leave us alone. I…I'll talk to you later about this, okay? But I'll only do it if you don't bother me."

"Thanks, Kar, I kneww I could count on you. And I wwon't inform the Condesce a' your little _problem_." Eridan started to turn away from Karkat and John, but then stopped.

"Kar?"

"Yeah?"

"If you aren't doing anythin' tonight, wwould you like to come-"

"Not fucking likely, creep."

"If you change your mind-"

"I won't."

With that, Eridan turned to face the front with a violet blush staining his cheeks. John slid his hand into Karkat's beneath the table. He felt oddly possessive of the Cancer and wanted nothing more than to snap that hipster troll's stupid little neck. If that piece of shit ever tried to ask Karkat out again, John would-

"Sorry about that moron. He is high maintenance to say the least. Don't worry about that last spouting of bullshit. He has made awkward flushed advances for at least five of us. No one has ever reciprocated," Karkat mumbled, lightly, almost shyly, squeezing John's hand. John relaxed a bit, knowing that the Aquarius was probably harmless. Still, if that fucker even _looked _at Karkat...

"Eh, he seems okay," John lied.

"That is the biggest fucking fib I have ever heard uttered by a sentient being."

~O~

The lone Scorpio sat in her dorm room, looking into one of her many Magic 8-Balls.

"Useless shit," she said, throwing it at the far wall. The shitty sphere shattered on impact, scattering the floor with shards of plastic. The liquid from the inside of it, which could have either been harmless water or toxic chemical, dribbled out and stained the carpet. There was a distinct indentation in the wall now.

Vriska sighed and allowed her eyes to close. Maybe she could get in a decent nap before ruining someone else's life…

"Hello, Vriska," came a hollow, emotionless voice. It sounded almost bored.

Oh HELL no.

Not HER again.

Vriska spun on her heel, only to come face-to-face with the intruder. Blank white eyes stared back at her. The apparition's feet hovered an inch or so off of the floor, and her long, thick black hair curled in the air like thrashing snakes. Like all of the trolls, her black shirt bore a sign, and in her case, it was the lowly burgundy sign of the Aries. A torn, moth-eaten skirt fluttered around her knees. Long white socks and plain black shoes adorned the ghost's feet. Burgundy eyelashes fluttered over those blank eyes, and she wore striking maroon lipstick that stood out against her pale, ghostly complexion. Her horns, not unlike the symbol on her shirt, were curled like some sort of weird goat-beast, otherwise known as a ram.

"Get out of my room, Megido."

"No."

"Shouldn't you be terrorizing little human wigglers or haunting the school bathrooms? You are, after all, Skaia Academy's phantom in residence."

"I think I will settle with haunting you."

"Oh really? Your ghost can still be killed, and if you continue to bother me, I will happily follow through with my threat of finishing you off."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. That is how you laugh, is it not? I have forgotten how to really laugh and feel amused. It is funny how you think you could kill me, Vriska; your mind-control does not affect me, but my telekinetic powers work perfectly on you." With this said, the phantom lifted her pale grey hand and flicked her wrist to the left. The Scorpio was sent flying into the wall, much like her Magic 8-Ball. She made impact with the obstruction with a loud thud, and her glasses clattered to the floor. Vriska groaned in pain, but she quickly recovered her composure and stood up, albeit shakily.

"You bitch, it's gonna take more than _that_ to hurt me."

"You are an arrogant one, aren't you?"

"Just stop, and shut the hell up!"

"You're planning something. It has to do with your object of affection, does it not?"

"Shut up!"

"Hmm, it seems that I have angered you with my observations. I cannot kill you, for the Seer is fated to do so. I should kill you right now so as to avoid a bleak future, but that would doom us all, not that we aren't already doomed."

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"You are destined to break the covenant of Prospit and Derse. We will be forced to participate."

Vriska screeched obscenity after obscenity as the ghost girl went on. It was unbearable, intolerable. How _dare _she be so insolent with a highblood of her position.

Finally, the screeching ended abruptly. The cerulean blood gasped for air as she felt an invisible hand constrict around her throat, slowly squeezing tighter and tighter.

"A-Aradia…let…me go!" Vriska choked out in outrage.

Then, as quickly as it came, it left. Vriska dropped to her knees and breathed deeply. She looked up at the Aries, an ireful fire smoldering in her cerulean eye.

"Listen to me, and I will leave you to your wicked devices. You are destined to ruin us all. You will cause Earth to fall to the Condesce. You will stir a violent war between Prospit and her sister planet, Derse. You will force us from our new homes. You will betray both of the opposing causes, and because of that, you will die by the hands of the only one who still truly cares for you."

Vriska stared, wide-eyed, as Aradia floated to the wall. The Scorpio's cerulean lips parted in a silent question, but Aradia began to speak for her.

"There is no choice. You will fulfill all of the deeds I have previously mentioned. I know that you are the Condesce's little minion and that you intend to usurp her throne. She knows of your treasonous plans, but she too knows of your fate. She and I are aware of what you are going to do, but we must allow everything to fall into place, as it has to," there was a pause in which Aradia bent her head and sighed softly. "It is your fault, Vriska. It always was."

She turned away, her hair swishing behind her in a slow, fluid movement, and she disappeared into the wall.

~O~

"Another day of school, another day of Goddamn boredom," Karkat said, throwing himself onto his bed and sighing loudly. He ended up sprawled across the entire mattress, with his arms and legs hanging off the bed. John stifled a giggle at the sight of the troll. He was just…so _adorabloodthirsty_. That really was the best adjective to describe the Cancer.

"It wasn't bad, Karkat. I think today was fun! Everyone is starting to plan the costume party and the dance for Halloween, which you are going to love!" John exclaimed cheerfully, his bucktoothed grin on full display.

"What the hell is Hall-oo-ween?" asked Karkat, his nose wrinkling in confusion.

"It's Halloween, Karkat, not _Hall-oo-ween," _John said, laughing. "Anyway, it's a human holiday where we dress up in costumes, go walking around the neighborhood, and get candy! I think I might dress like Nic Cage when he played in _Con_ _Air_. Man, that is such a great movie."

"What? That is the stupidest bullshit I have ever heard," Karkat said with a snort.

"Nu-uh! It is awesome! Last year I was Egon from _Ghost_ _Busters_. I got, like, ten pounds of candy."

At the mention of the words "ten pounds of candy", Karkat's eyes brightened a smidgeon, and his mouthed watered. Of course, John noticed this shift in Karkat's demeanor.

"You only get candy if you go trick-or-treating, though, so you better hurry up an get a costume. Heh, maybe Kanaya can make you one! She is making mine, and dare I say, it is the best one I will ever have," John said enthusiastically.

"Well, if there's candy, I guess I'll go to this 'Halloween'."

"That's the spirit, Karkat!"

"I'm not in it for _you_, only for candy."

"You still want me there with you, though."

"I fucking hate it when you're right, you bucktoothed idiot."

"But you don't hate _me!_"

Karkat mumbled something inaudible and turned over on his back. He folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.

John walked over to where Karkat was lying, and he perched himself on the edge of the troll's bed. He bit his lip and glanced bashfully at Karkat. Said troll merely cracked open one eye to glance at him and jerked his head to the side, motioning for him to man the fuck up and lie down.

John proceeded to lie down beside the nubby-horned troll in the same position.

"Mmm, comfy," John said as he turned over onto his side and wrapped his arms around Karkat's torso. The Cancer blushed crimson due to John's hand being a bit to close to his nether regions.

In response to the intimate gesture, Karkat turned over to face John, and he draped one arm over the derp's shoulder and tucked the other one beneath his head.

Karkat brushed his lips against John neck gently, causing a shiver of pleasure to shoot through the blue-eyed boy's spine. The troll smirked against the human's skin in satisfaction, and he then nuzzled his face into John's chest.

The two lied like that for the better part of an hour before they heard the placid whispers of dreams beginning to filter into their thoughts.

* * *

Merry Christmas! ^.~


	21. A Masquerade of a Differing Kind

A/N: Again, I must apologize for my lack of updates. I swear, I have had way too much to do! :(

I am ecstatic that you find the previous update to be cute and such, so-adorabloodthirsty, but I regret to inform you that some of the chapters to come (after this one) will be a bit morose and dramatic. I feel bad now…

Hey, Midori-chan! :D Yep, new characters and a little taste of what John is feeling. No worries, I will try to keep up with the demand! By the by, you never sent me your latest chapter…

xXForever a SconeXx….Yawwwwww.

CrazyCimera666, I appreciate your enthusiastic admiration of my writings, although you frighten me a tad. 0_0 Please, feel free to hump the other reviewers, just not me (sorry, but you guys have to make a sacrifice)! Oh yes, you ARE cool. :)

Awww, surely it was not the BEST Christmas present, Zexionienzo. Thank you for being so kind, though! I promise that this chapter and the later ones will be better than the last one! :D

Oh, but RAndOmanimefreak123, I have ALL the irons in the fire! ;3 I would be weary of cuddling Eridan, dearie! He might get a bit…touchy-feely, if you get my drift. -_-'

I hope you enjoy the holidays as well, DumpsterCat69! Thank you for reading. :D

Noaih (Guest), you told your moirail about the story? :') I feel really happy right now. Thank you all for taking time to read this story, review it, and tell your friends about it! I will do my best! :3

Aww, MissDerppy, thank you for your uplifting feedback! :) Whew, I have been worried over Aradia's characterization, but it appears that I have done well. I hope I make you proud in this update!

Disclaimer: If I did own it, I would be one happy shipper…

So, did you guys have a merry Christmas? I know I certainly did; so many of you reviewed! I love all of you. Now it is almost New Year's, and I am feeling the spirit of the holidays! I hope you enjoy this end of the year special (although the wrong holiday is featured in it)! ^^

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Twenty-One:

A Masquerade of a Differing Kind

It has been one week, three days, three hours, and seventeen minutes since the emissary had promised her master a report.

It would be one week, three days, twenty hours, and forty-three minutes until the report is given.

Today is the day of that wretched masquerade 'ball' or 'dance' that the school is putting on. That stupid human holiday, Halloween, is the occasion. You just cannot catch a break on this planet.

The cerulean spy has her costume ready, although she loathes the mere notion of touching it, let alone wearing it. It has been expertly crafted by the best of the Condesce's seamstresses, and it is of the finest materials in the known universe. It is a thing of beauty to the eye of anyone else, but to her, the Scorpio, the cerulean emissary, the Spider Bitch, _Vriska…_it is an abomination that was given to her by the condescending hand of the one she hates the most. It is a jab at her, and it is a thing to distain. Oh, how low she is being brought by _Her Imperious Condescension_. The empress had thought of everything previous to her departure for the little blue planet. Even her wardrobe had been carefully selected. The costume is merely a little pre-planned _gift _that the fuchsia blood had provided for to her to wear to this particular event. The Condesce had done her homework on these pesky little shits. The costume is just so _human. _

Its exquisiteness sickens the Scorpio.

The corseted bodice laces up in the back and hooks in the front, allowing it to hug her curves in all of the right places. It is heavily boned, and is therefore fairly difficult to maneuver in and hurts like a bitch. The bodice is of the purest cobalt in hue, and the fabric is the softest cerulean-blooded lusii silk that Alternia has to offer. The material reminded the troll of her long-dead lusus, otherwise known as Spidermom, but it did not bring about any of the pain associated with the loss of one's custodian. The skirts billow around her feet in gentle waves that fade from a deep sapphire to a light azure. The top layer of the skirts is drawn up in ruffles. The next four layers of fabric flare out a little each tier, creating an illusion of a bud blooming around her hips and gradually flourishing into a wind-swept blossom of a thousand shades that swirls past her ankles. The strapless gown allows her smooth shoulders and delicate throat to be viewed by the wandering eye.

"This infernal thing will burn once I get back here," Vriska murmurs as she secures her hair in a half-bun and lets the remaining strands curl down her back. A single blue spider-shaped pin slides into position at the base of the bun, so as to keep it from falling out during the night. The pin is the only thing worth keeping; the rest of this audacious bullshit is going in the fire. Although…it will be rather nice to be noticed by _everyone_ at the masquerade ball, will it not? The idea of being noticed seems to please the cerulean blood, even if it comes at the price of wearing the Condesce's 'gift'.

The cobalt lipstick had been applied, as had the smoky eye shadow. Vriska slips on her black high-heels, and she fastens a black lace choker around her slim neck, cursing all the while. The Scorpio then ties on the final touch, her ornate, blue mask.

Looking in the mirror, she grimaces, but then, as she contemplates the results her appearance at the ball will bring, she smirks. She then remembers something she has has wanted to do for about a sweep now that she is finally able to do without hindrance…

A masquerade it shall be, although not in the carefree context the word usually appears in.

One last cursory glance, one last wink in approval.

"Ready."

~O~

"For the last Goddamned time, no!"

"Yes, Karkat, you _will _wear this. I am not giving you a choice!"

"Well, if you wear _this _then I will wear _that."_

"…Fine."

Karkat, with an annoyed huff, allowed John to place an elaborately decorated Columbina mask tinged in crimson, ruby, maroon, and other variations of red on his face and tie it on.

"See, Karkat, it isn't so bad! You look really good in red," John said, smiling.

"Well, you'll look even better in this, so just shut the hell up, and let me put this on you," the troll grumbled in reply. 'This' referred to the emerald green tailcoat that Kanaya had made for John. He had had no objections to his vivid green volto mask, which was gilded with fake silver accents and imitation pearls, but he was weary of that tailcoat. Although, the mask was a bit difficult to get used to, considering he usually wore his glasses. Now he was forced to wear contacts, which made his eyes itch incessantly.

Karkat stood behind him and impatiently held the coat out for John to slip his arms through. Once John straightened out the questionable coat, Karkat began trying to button it for him. John quickly realized that Karkat was Godawful at the task.

"Here, I'll get it since you clearly have problemswith buttons. You go on and finish up getting ready," the blue-eyed boy said, giggling.

"Whatever, that stupid fucking coat can just go to hell. I'll be ready in a minute," there was a pause. "Why in the taintchafing hell are we going to this ball or whatever? Please, remind me."

"Well, you are my date, silly! Come on, you know you wanna dance!" John crowed in answer, taking Karkat's hands and twirling about the room in a ridiculous manner.

"Okay, okay, I remember how I got talked into this fucking asshat ball."

John let Karkat go and proceeded to button up his tailcoat. He left a few of them undone so as to show off the black dress shirt underneath. He made certain that his black slacks were uncontaminated by any freelancing dust bunnies looking to make a living in his pockets. Looking in the mirror in the bedroom, John nodded to himself and grinned goofily. He looked good. The question was, is Karkat of the same opinion? He hoped so. Kanaya had worked tremendously hard to make this costume for him, and he would be damned if it was not one of the most marvelous ensembles he had ever seen. If this attractive attire did not turn Karkat on, then there was nothing – at least not within reason – that would get the nubby-horned troll to notice him…in _that _way. He still could not believe he had a boyfriend, or rather a matesprit. It was daunting, but it felt…pleasant.

Karkat straightened his black frock coat and examined himself in the bathroom mirror. Complaining to himself about the 'lousy, stupid, Goddamned uncomfortable clothing', the Cancer also adjusted the plain black cravat and the crimson shirt that refused to be completely hidden by the coat. His black slacks, similar to John's, had been skillfully crafted, as had his other garments, by none other than Kanaya. He did not look half bad, but then again, it was John's opinion that mattered to him. If dressing up in this stupid-ass shit did not get John into a 'sloppy makeout mood', then there was nothing – at least not within reason – that would get the derp to notice him…in _that _way. Jegus, worrying about appearances was just stupid, but John was worth it.

Dammit, emotions make people do weird things.

John waltzed into the bathroom cheerily and gave the Cancer a lopsided grin. John's eyes took in every detail of the being standing before him with baited breath. God, did Karkat look nice in that costume. That unique outfit coupled his exotic appearance made him simply unearthly to gaze upon. The tightly fitted garments just looked plain sexy, there was no denying. "Ready, Karkat?" said the now flushed human.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Karkat's breath hitched at the sight of John in his ensemble. It fit him perfectly and accentuated his lean body in a way that made the troll's mind whir at a thousand miles a minute. His gutter-bound imagination needed to be thoroughly cleansed with soap by the end of the night.

~O~

"I must reiterate my thanks, Kanaya, for making these amazing costumes for us all," said a very pretty Victorian girl. Her short platinum blonde hair was pinned back in a severe hairstyle, and her prominent pink eyes seemed luminous against her dark eye makeup. Her proud posture, mysterious black filigree mask, and gorgeous black and pink gown made for an elegant image, which Kanaya gazed upon with open admiration.

"Y-you are very welcome, Rose. You look absolutely ravishing, if I do say so myself," the Virgo stuttered in reply. The human girl before her was stunning, and she could not reject that simple fact. She was just _enchanting_.

"As do you, Kanaya," Rose said, allowing the corner of her mouth to twitch up in the dawn of a genuine smile. Kanaya had made herself a beautiful jade green, strapless dress that swept the floor and was veiled in black lace. Her sparse, delicate jade mask made her eyes positively glow. The jade blood had powdered her face with a pale foundation, giving her the appearance of a rainbow drinker. Although she seemed calm and composed externally, Rose was awestruck at the lovely creature standing before her.

"Well, shall we go meet the others at the ball?" Kanaya inquired, shyly holding her arm out for Rose to take. Rose dipped her head in silent compliance, and she linked her arms with the Virgo's. Together, they set off down the moonlit path, prepared to dance the night away.

~O~

The Aquarius, the Gemini, the Pisces, the Aries, and the Jade Human all dressed in opulent attire made their way toward the Halloween festivities, although not without a healthy dose of whining, lisping, and prodding with forked objects. The Aries merely floated behind the trio of bickering trolls.

"Shut. The. Glub. Up." Feferi said, punctuating each word with a prod from her trident.

"Feferi, put the trident away before you impale someone," the Aries said in her empty voice. Aradia had dressed in a hauntingly beautiful white formal gown that was riddled with holes at the hem.

"Ugh, fine, Aradia," the regal troll murmured, setting her weapon of choice against a tree. She mentally marked where she had placed so that she could retrieve it later.

"Fef, tell this fuckin' idiot that you are _my _date," whined Eridan.

"I am NOT your date, for the last glubbing time, Eridan!" Because of this childish arguing, I do not _have _a date. Now, shut up!" the fuchsia blood reprimanded. She flounced on ahead of the Aquarius and the Gemini with her nose turned up and her fists clenched in frustration. Her fuchsia hued empire waist ball gown swished this way and that in the light breeze.

"Feferi, wait up!" called Jade as she ran after her in her black and green ballerina-themed dress.

"Way to go, douchebag; now she hatesth usth both," whispered Sollux in irritation. The Gemini fussed with the mustard yellow sash around his middle and his suit jacket as he admonished the Aquarius.

"This isn't my fault, Sol. Ugh, no one understands!" Eridan whispered back, his long purple cape whipping to and fro.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I understhand. You are an annoying asthhole, and you never shut up."

"I guess you _do _understand. That wwas the story a my life right there."

"Damn sthraight."

~O~

"You ready, Tavbro?" a lilting voice pervaded the nervous Taurus's thoughts.

"Uh, uh, yeah, I'm, uh coming, Gamzee!" called Tavros as he finally finished tying his bowtie. The lanky Capricorn waited for him patiently. His own garish costume could have been likened to that of a ringmaster.

Tavros pushed his wheelchair out into the hallway of the dorm and stopped beside Gamzee. He looked up at the highblood and smiled timidly.

"So, a-are you ready to go to the, uh, ball, uh, Gamzee?" stuttered the long-horned troll.

"Motherfucking yeah, brother," acquiesced the Capricorn, who grinned down at the Taurus.

"Well, let's um, go, okay?"

Gamzee leaned down and let his lips brush the top of Tavros's head in an innocent act of affection.

"Okay, motherfucking matesprit."

~O~

"Daaaaave! Come on, Mr. Cool," cackled the ever-grinning Libra. Her teal dress swirled and swished about her knees as she twirled around and around. She resembled one of those waitresses from the 50's, but of course she did not know what those 'waitresses' were. She decided to forgo the mask in favor of her delightfully cherry-red glasses.

"Goddamnit, Terezi, just hold your weird-ass alien horses on for one damn second," Dave said as he combed his hair into place and put on his snazzy red suit jacket. Dave passed on wearing a mask as well, but damn, he looked fine.

"I'm going to go find another date if you don't hurry. It's not polite to leave a blind girl all by her self, so hurry the fuck up."

"Fine, fine, I'm ready. Shall we?" Dave said, smirking as he took the blind troll by the arm and whisked her off to the ball.

"Oh Dave, I never knew you could be so smooth, hehehe!"

~O~

"Nepeta, are you almost ready?" the Sagittarius asked. Deciding to dress up for the occasion, Equius had Kanaya make him a sleeveless dress shirt and a vest so as to allow his rippling biceps to be viewed by all who wished to see. The STRONG troll chose to don his cracked sunglasses as usual, but his platonic date tried something a little different.

"I'm ready, Equius!" Nepeta exclaimed from behind her moirail. She leapt on his back, startling him, and she then dropped back to the ground, beaming happily.

"How many times have I told you to stop that horseplay? It is not becoming for someone of your blood color."

"Sorry. I just got excited, that's all!" Squealed the Leo. Her olive eyes sparkled behind her gatto mask. The cat-themed mask was perfect for the troll. Nepeta's Venetian-style ball gown matched the hue of her dazzling eyes and bloomed out in layers upon layers of fine fabric. She was the picture of prettiness.

"Then we should get going. Come, Nepeta," Equius said haltingly.

"Okay!" chirped the Leo, bounding alongside her moirail, laughing and dancing about.

~O~

"Good evening Skaia Academy! Welcome to our Halloween dance!" the principal said, using a microphone to amplify his already boisterous voice. There are refreshments near the door, so help yourselves. This whole shindig ends at midnight. Alright, any questions? No? Then let the masquerade ball begin!"

The first song of the night played gently from the speakers in the Gymnasium. The room buzzed with the pointless yet happy chatter of the hormonal teenagers of Skaia Academy.

Like the calm before the storm, the students let a hush descend on the dance floor. A few bold couples walked arm-in-arm on the dance floor, and they began slow dancing. The mixture of trolls and humans talked amongst themselves nervously, waiting for a couple they knew to make their way to the sparsely populated dance floor.

All of the trolls, the exception being Vriska, were made aware of the status of John and Karkat's relationship as soon as they saw them holding hands as they came in the door. Rose, Dave, and Jade knew as well, judging by their smug visages and little sniggers that said 'I fucking called it'. Minutes before making their entrance, Karkat decided 'fuck whatever they say, I want to dance with my Goddamned matesprit. Don't be a wiggler, so come on, fuckass', and so everyone knew of this little…development. As the congratulations, the toasts, and the half-hearted mumbles of slight embarrassment on Karkat's behalf were thrown about the group's conversation, one brave soul decided it was high fucking time to start dancing.

"Fuck it," Dave said with a sigh as he dragged a giggling Terezi to the middle of the dancing area.

"Hm, looks like Terezi's got herself a little flush crush. How sickeningly sweet," said a sultry voice from behind the large crowd of friends. All eyes turned to the source of the ill-wrought words. Their eyes were met with a very beautiful, yet very deadly creature.

"What the fuck are _you _doing here, Spider Bitch?" Karkat asked, a challenge permeating his strained voice.

"I could ask you the same question," Vriska retorted, eyeing John as the blue-eyed boy took hold of Karkat's hand once again.

"I am here to dance with my fucking _matesprit. _Is that a problem, Vriska?" said Karkat with a sneer staining his tone.

The Scorpio's eye widened at the revelation. "Y-you and this asswipe are matesprits? Come _oooooooon, _Karkat! You can do _so _much better than him! Listen, I know you are mad at me for trying to kill you and all, and I know I am still a bit mad at you for saying those _awful _things to me, but I'll accept your apology if you ditch McBucktooth over here," she said, jerking her thumb toward John.

"Like hell I will," snarled Karkat.

"Oh well, it was worth a shot. I am giving you _waaaay_ too many chances to be with me, you know? If you aren't careful, disrespecting me could get you _cuuuuuuulled_," Vriska said dramatically, sighing and putting a dainty hand to her cheek. She looked up at all of the trolls and humans through her eyelashes and smirked as they all stared. Dave and Terezi glanced over at the group, worry evident in their features. They began walking toward them, their pace quickening as they realized who it was that the group was dealing with.

As soon as Dave and his Libra came to a stop near the squabbling trolls, he immediately hardened his demeanor.

"Get the fuck away from my friends, bitch," he said in a cool voice, which was laced with menace. His poker face never broke its sturdy façade of calm, but every one of the onlookers could tell that he was pissed to kingdom fucking come.

"Only if I get a dance from dear little Karkat," Vriska said, pouting in a mocking manner.

Everyone turned to look at Karkat.

"Well, if it gets rid of you for the rest of the evening, then o-fucking-kay, let's get this bullshittery over with," Karkat grumbled, letting go of John's hand. John started forward in protest, but stopped when he saw the look of warning in Karkat's eyes.

"Mmmm, I'll show you a _great _time, Karkat," the Scorpio hissed in his ear as they walked off. The nubby-horned troll stiffened at her words, but he controlled his rage.

Once out on the dance floor, Vriska snaked her arms around Karkat's neck and brought him close to her. The Cancer placed his hand hesitantly on her hips, and he grimaced at the unwanted contact.

"So, how are you and…_John_ doing?"

"We are doing fucking fine as far as you are concerned."

"Well, that is just fantastic, but onto more pressing matters. I have so _many _irons in the damn fire; I just don't know what to do with them all! I have had so much on my thinkpan lately that I think I may have let slip your filthy little secret to a _veeeeeeeery _important person_. _Do you know of whom I speak, Karkat? I think you do," Vriska purred in his ear maliciously.

The color drained from the Cancer's face, and his mouth went dry.

"You t-told the fucking Condesce?" Karkat asked in a panicked tone, his eyes growing wide.

"Hm, that may have been her…yep, that must have been who I told! Thank you for the reminder." Karkat could practically hear the smirk in her voice.

Karkat took a moment to clear his throat before speaking, lest his voice betray his colossal clusterfuck of overwrought emotions. "So, what is she planning to do? Is she going to just pop in for a visit to Earth, cull me, and then go on her merry fucking way?"

"Sounds about right."

"Well, I-"

The song ended abruptly, and the cerulean blood pulled away, but not before tracing her fingers down the Cancer's arm.

"If this needs any further discussion, feel free to come find me," she said, winking suggestively. Before Karkat could say a word, she was gone.

Karkat stumbled back over to the awaiting trolls and humans.

Kanaya spoke up first. "What did she want, Karkat?"

"She…she said that…" Karkat trailed off, but then shook his head as if making up his mind. A new resolution filled his vermilion eyes. "You know what, fuck this, I'll tell all of you later, but right now, we are at a Goddamn masquerade ball, or whatever the hell it's called, and we are going to have fun, agreed?"

Everyone consented, albeit hesitantly.

"But you had better tell us about it later," Feferi warned.

Karkat sighed in defeat. "Fine."

~O~

"This isn't so bad, John," Karkat mumbled into the crook of the aforementioned derp's neck as they swayed back and forth to the music.

"I knew you'd love it," replied John with a small smile. He rested his head atop Karkat's and breathed in his cherry scent. John held Karkat gently, his arms loosely looped around the Cancer's waist. Karkat had his arms wrapped around John's neck, his grip firm.

John pulled him closer and sighed contentedly. It felt so _right _to have him so close to his body. Karkat's presence alone thrilled him, but having the troll so near him physically made him giddy with a strange sensation that built within his chest and then slowly spread throughout his entire body. The physical stir triggered a wild mental fit of the more erotic persuasion. John pictured the Cancer slowly unbuttoning his shirt, whispering in his ear how idiotic humans could be. Karkat cursed human weakness as he slid John's shirt off, and he damned his own flaw of having one as a matesprit when he then trailed light kisses down the blue-eyed boy's chest. Karkat's hand slid up his leg and-

Okay, it was time to stop. Just…no.

Karkat brushed his lips lightly against John's neck, causing pleasant shivers to pass through every nerve ending in the blue-eyed derp.

"John," he muttered against the boy's skin.

"Y-yeah, Karkat?" John inquired, his cheeks coloring a brilliant shade of pink. He looked a ways past Karkat and saw Jade, Rose, and Feferi shooting them glances and giggling. John allowed his head to rest on the nubby-horned troll's head once again, and he willed away any of _those _fantasies.

"Whatever you do, do _not_ pay attention to Vriska. Just stay the hell away from her, Okay?" Karkat said, pulling John even closer to him. He needed to feel safe, and any safety at all was in John's arms at the moment.

"I promise not to get involved with her conniving bitchiness, but I will tell you one thing: if she ever touches you again, it will take more than Equius's strength for you to stop me from beating the shit out of her."

A smile tugged at Karkat's lips as he pictured Vriska getting the shit beat out of her by John. _John. His matesprit. _

On impulse, Karkat drew back for a moment, only to close in on the gap between them once more to steal a short, fervent kiss.

"I'll be the one holding her down," the Cancer said, smirking as he took in John's shocked visage. The random kiss had thrown him for a loop.

"Well, it sounds like a plan, then," John said, laughing and bringing their foreheads together. He let his arms fall lower on the nubby-horned troll's hips and he hummed happily.

"Hey," John piped up again. "I wonder what everyone else is up to," he said, glancing around. He saw Rose…dancing…with…Kanaya? Where the heck did that come from? Then there was Dave and Terezi, obviously. He also saw Tavros sitting beside Gamzee near the edge of the dance floor, talking and laughing. Eridan was still bickering with Sollux, but…wait, they were moving to the dance floor together. Now they were dancing? What the actual fuck was that about? John then saw Jade sitting with Feferi and Aradia and having a blast as per usual. Nepeta was dancing with…Jake? Wait a minute- oh no, wait, Equius was only her moirail, not a real date, so that was okay...supposedly. Equius was sitting nearby, watching the two as they danced. Vriska was nowhere to be seen, which was a relief. God, this dance was weird.

"Let's just leave those grubfuckers to their own devices."

"Agreed."

A fast-paced song began playing as the slow song came to an end. It had a sort of Spanish flare to it. John beamed at Karkat.

"We should dance to this one! It's like one you tango to," John explained to the confused troll.

"What's a tango?" Karkat asked curiously.

"It's a type of dance, silly."

"Oh. Well, let's fucking dance, then."

In truth, neither of them could tango, so they improvised.

John placed one hand on his matesprit's waist and held the other one out for Karkat to take. The troll, in turn, placed one hand in John's, and he then moved his hand to rest on John's shoulder. The two stepped quickly back-and-forth, front-to-back, and side-to-side in a high-energy dance. There were missteps and curses abound, but the duo laughed as they twirled one another around and around. John attempted to dip his partner, but only succeeded in dropping the Cancer on the floor.

"Watch it, asshole!" Karkat exclaimed as he rubbed his back from where he had hit the floor.

"Hehe, sorry, Karkat. It won't happen again," said John mischievously, his blue eyes sparkling against the green of his mask.

"_Sure_ it won't."

They picked up where they left off, and the Cancer and the derp continued dancing until they were ready to drop.

On the other side of the dance floor, a certain blonde girl with a pretty Virgo on her arm smiled knowingly.

_Ah, young love._

~O~

The cerulean blood smirked to herself as she waited near the men's bathroom.

He had no choice but to bow to her mind control.

He would come whether he liked it or not.

"V-Vriska?" a shaky voice queried.

The smirk only grew as she approached the voice's owner. It was a darkened, empty hallway, and there was nothing stopping her from doing what she came here to do.

She withdrew a small dagger from one of the many folds in her skirts.

"Why did you- wait, um, stop! Gamzee! Uh, Karkat, uh, please, help me! Help!"

She merely made him roll his wheelchair even closer to her.

"Don't worry, little Puuuuuuuupa Pan, I just wanted to say _hi_!"

She grinned wolfishly and gave in to the innate bloodlust that she had been holding back until this moment of unadulterated, primitive savagery.

~O~

"I think I heard Tavros over here," Karkat said, glancing around the hall. Gamzee and Aradia followed close behind him. The Aries joined them purely on a whim, whilst the Capricorn was worried for his motherfucking Tavbro. Karkat had heard his name called, so he had joined the party in their search.

"Tavbro, where are you, motherfucker?" called Gamzee, his half-lidded eyes brightening a tad as he began to grow anxious.

"Tav- Oh, God, no! Oh God, oh fucking God no!" Karkat cried out as he rounded the corner near the men's bathroom.

"What, Karbro, what di-"

Silence reigned with her cold, callous hand in that hall. There were simply no words that could be said for what grotesque image lay there for all to see.

The Aries caught up with the Cancer and his moirail, and her eyes widened slightly at the gruesome sight before her. Other than a minor shift in her demeanor, she remained for the most part indifferent. If she had still been alive, she would have been sad, angry, and vengeful, but now, there was only a dull sensation of what should have been a raging tempest of raw emotions. Karkat, for once in his life, was shocked into silence, his heart skipping a beat. Gamzee looked…lost. He looked like one of those poor, lost little woofbeasts that had nowhere to go, and no one to find solace in.

The lanky Capricorn sank to his knees in a stupor, although this trance was not induced by sopor.

It was much worse than any poisonous substance he could have consumed.

It was so much _worse._

"T-Tavbro?"

* * *

This is by far the longest chapter! Yay! :D

Please, inform me of any mistakes on my part, whether they are major or minor. I had to do a smidgeon of research on masks and/or costumes, so I may have gotten something wrong. Please, by all means, correct me!

Have a happy New Year, and remember that I love you all! Thank you guys for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing.

3


	22. Catch-22

A/N: I am back! Book reports and college reps stole away most of my free time. Here is a nice, gloomy chapter to make up for it. It is what it is, my dears.

Okay, DumptserCat69, I fixed that mistake you pointed out to me. I must thank you once again for your keen eye! Ah, there is more unsettling twists to come, rest assured. ;)

If anything, _I_ would want to be the one beating the daylights out of Spider Bitch, Midori. You need to finish up more chapters of your story, or so help me, I will kill off Dave or some such character of minor importance to the plot! Mark my words!

Belgistique, surely you did not lose sleep over this train wreck! I am delighted by your praise, and I am shocked that you find this to be your favorite! You, and all of my other readers, are the reason I write this. I love you guys.

Yes indeed, RAndOmanimefreak123, yes indeed…

I am sorry, Wub A Dub Dub, about this, but it must be so…. Anyway, thank you for sticking with it! Even a passing glance at my story brightens my day, so one little forgotten review is okay. I will let it slide. ;3 Hehe, teenage hormones are beginning to work their magic.

I am deeply sorry for your…mourning of Tavros, Zexionienzo. 0_0 I had to! In all honesty, he was the easiest to kill off without overwhelming guilt (besides Eridan and Vriska. I could do without them, but alas, they are important). U_U Please refrain from killing me.

Cookies, CrazyCimera666? I am completely fine with cookies being thrown my way! :P Uh, good luck with that endeavor, I suppose. As long as it is not me…

lamai04 (Guest), I would die without YOUR reviews, as well as everyone else's.

Guest, thank you for making my day (you guys make my day EVERY day, by the by)! Here is your update, and I hope you thoroughly enjoy it. :) I wish that there were no mistakes, but in reality, there are quite a few. I have, however, cleaned up the chapters a lot. Keep reading and reviewing, I implore you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Homestuck, nor do I own an iota of the song "Fix You", by Coldplay. This is one of my favorite songs, actually. Also, I apologize for possible OOCness.

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Twenty-two:

Catch-22

_When you try your best but you don't succeed_

"Oh God, no. This isn't fucking real. Tell me this isn't-"

_When you get what you want but not what you need_

"Tavbro? You can wake up now, motherfucker."

_When you feel so tired but you can't sleep_

Aradia, he- he can't be- we've got to do something!"

_Stuck in reverse_

"K-Karbro, he's not getting his move on."

"I know, I see. He..."

_And the tears come streaming down your face_

"My motherfucking matesprit won't get up."

_When you lose something you can't replace_

"I fucking know, Gamzee. J-just keep calm, okay? It's okay, he's okay, _we're _okay."

_When you love someone but it goes to waste_

"Karkat, Gamzee."

_Could it be worse?_

"He's gone."

There was no emotion in Aradia's voice as she made her announcement to the Capricorn and his moirail. It was cold and dull, but it still hurt to hear those words. There was no numbness now.

There was only unbelievable pain.

Music floated in lilting notes through the otherwise silent hall, filling the void that Aradia, Karkat, and Gamzee's stillness left. Everyone in the main room, so oblivious to the horror of seeing the life bleed from the Taurus, was dancing and laughing without a care in the world. The trio standing mere feet from their dead friend was not so fortunate.

Of course the troll were used to death, considering their species was war-like in nature, but never had one of them seen one of their closest friends die.

_Lights will guide you home_

The lights had left his eyes before they had gotten to the source of the desperate cries for help. His wheelchair was off to the side, stained with blood. Streaks and smears of dull bronze painted the tiled floor in random patterns and swirls. Blood still seeped in thick rivulets from the multiple stab wounds in his torso, and it pooled around him in a halo of russet. The troll's throat had been slashed ruthlessly, and was now bleeding profusely. There was blood, blood, and more blood. It would not _stop._

Gamzee's voice, broken and hoarse, sounded in the hall, bouncing from lifeless wall to lifeless wall.

"T-Tavbro, it's all chill. You're just asleep, having miraculous dreams sent from the mirthful messiahs."

_And ignite your bones_

"Gamz-"

"He's motherfucking fine, bitchtits sis."

_And I will try to fix you_

"No, dumbass, he isn't. I'm…sorry. I am so sorry."

Karkat sniffled and covered his mouth with one hand while the other hung limply at his side. Diluted red tears pooled in his eyes. There was no way this was real. This couldn't happen.

Not to Tavros.

Not to Gamzee's matesprit.

Not to his friend.

_And high up above or down below_

"JOHN! JOHN, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE R-RIGHT THE FUCK NOW! KANAYA, SOLLUX, DAVE, ROSE, TEREZI, A-ANYONE, JUST HELP US! JUST FUCKING HELP!"

A ghostly hand rested on the Cancer's shoulder, sending a cold chill through his body. There was a comforting squeeze administered. It did nothing to calm him.

"Tavbro," the Capricorn whispered, ignoring his moirail's desperate screeches.

_When you're too in love to let it go_

Purple-tinted tears fell to the floor. Crawling to his matesprit, the source of the purple tears leaned over the still cadaver and let his tears fall freely. Watery purple mixed with thick bronze.

The Cancer and the Aries watched in silence, in mourning. The lachrymose scene was almost more than Karkat could bear.

_But if you never try then you'll never know_

"Goddamnit, John, where a-are you? Hurry t-the hell up!" he yelled in a strangled voice choked with loss.

"Karkat! Where are you?" a faint, yell sounded some ways down the hall.

"We're here, John! By the b-bathroom! Hurry the fuck UP!" Karkat called, his voice cracking. The Cancer dried his tears, for the most part, as he kept a look-out for John. He had to stop being so damn weak.

_Just what you're worth_

"What is it, Karkat?" inquired the blue-eyed boy as he rounded the corner. He stopped short as he gazed upon the scene. Taking a step forward, John's mouth opened, then closed again rapidly. He searched for words, but they continued to elude his mind's out-stretched fingers. John, in vain, tried to say something, _anything. _There was simply nothing to say, and nothing to do about this tragedy.

"Karkat," John said, trying to calm down and slow his rapid heartbeat. Tears stung his eyes and threatened to fall, but he willed them away for when the problem before them was resolved. "How? H-how did this happen?" John said, his previously brave voice wavering slightly.

_Lights will guide you home_

Tavros had been his friend, and a good one at that. He sat with him at lunch often, and he talked to him in between classes and when he stopped by the dorm with Gamzee. Karkat, who had been Tavros's friend since they were a few sweeps old, had spent a lot of time with the amiable Taurus as well. They talked and joked in Dirk's class, and they chatted when they had the time. Now, that friendship was gone.

_And ignite your bones_

"Aradia, go get a teacher," Karkat ordered, wiping his face of his sleeve. His voice was weak and slightly higher-pitched, but his eyes now burned with resolution. Now was the time to be strong for his moirail, even though he himself was being torn apart on the inside.

"Alright," she murmured, turning to leave. Still facing to opposite direction, she called back to Karkat.

"Help him through this, Karkat. You're all he has now. We can't do anything to mend him, but he has you to ease the pain."

_And I will try to fix you_

Karkat and John looked on as Gamzee wept silently, the occasional strangled cry breaking his almost mute lamentations. He knelt by Tavros, and he stroked his matesprit's hair gently, lovingly. He took the Taurus's hand, laced his fingers with his own, and kissed him, one last time, on his unfeeling, dead lips.

There was so much _pain_ in his half-lidded eyes.

Sopor could never dull this ache.

Never in all his sweeps had Karkat seen his moirail in such a state.

_Tears stream down your face_

John put his arm around Karkat's shoulders and allowed the nubby-horned troll to wrap his arms around him in an attempt at finding comfort. The Cancer buried his face in the front of John's jacket. Karkat then pulled away from John and allowed his arms to rest at his sides.

_When you lose something you cannot replace_

"He needs me."

"I know. Go, Karkat."

_Tears stream down your face_

Karkat dropped to the floor, banging his knees against the cold tile in the process. He winced, but he otherwise ignored the twinge in his kneecaps. There were more important things to worry about.

"Shhh, it's okay. Shhh," the Cancer soothed, all the while papping Gamzee in a calming manner.

_And I_

"Ta-Tav…"

_Tears stream down your face_

"It's okay Gamzee, it's all fucking okay."

_I promise you I will learn from my mistakes_

Footsteps echoed down the corridor as Dave, Rose, Jade, and the trolls sprinted to where their friend lay in permanent slumber.

_Tears stream down your face _

The screams fell on deaf ears. The ache of loss was dulled by the thick cloud of melancholy, and vision blurred with the very beginnings of unshed tears and disbelief. Crying came after the initial moment of shocked silence. Most of the male trolls and humans refrained from crying, but there was a look of misery clearly etched in each of their faces, to the exception of Dave, the sole stoic of the bunch. Even Rose was distressed by the situation at hand, as was the prim and proper Kanaya, although they concealed their inner turmoil fairly well.

_And I_

Feferi and Nepeta were the ones who had shrieked and cried when their eyes, once so soft and gentle, locked onto the body of their friend. Now their eyes were filled to the brim with anguish and bitter sorrow. Jade allowed Feferi to cling to her dress and weep, and Equius quickly put his arms around Nepeta, who had fallen to her knees and put her face in her hands. Equius, not being too terribly fond of the bronze-blooded troll, merely comforted his moirail and stared blankly at the Taurus.

_Lights will guide you home_

Terezi cast her gaze on the ground and allowed a few rare teal tears to roll down her cheeks. Dave stood close to her, his hand brushing her own in a silent act of comfort. He, being the stoic guy he was, kept his emotions in check. Eridan spluttered in disbelief and he asked Sollux what had happened multiple times. Sollux was too disturbed by his friend's terrible fate to tell the Aquarius to shut the hell up. Besides, he did not know how this tragedy had come about either.

_And ignite your bones_

"My God, what happened?" exclaimed a horror-filled voice. Jane Crocker had come around the corner at full-tilt, leaving a placid Aradia to follow nonchalantly. Jane had skidded to a halt and stared, her eyes flickering with sadness and utter distress.

"Good question, Jane. That's we'd like to know, too," answered Dave, his face devoid of any and all emotion.

"But- but who? Are you sure he's not-"

"He's fucking dead! End of story, he got his ass killed," Karkat said, cutting her off sharply. The Cancer sighed and looked at her, his crimson eyes tired and broken. "Sorry. It's just…overwhelming, and Jegus, I don't know how to handle this shit. None of us do."

"It's okay, Karkat. I know. This is...unexpected and tragic," said Jane, her voice quavering at the last word. He had been an excellent student, and he had been so kind to her.

Jane hardened her gaze and looked at each troll and human present at the scene. "Who? Answer me, who did _this_," she gestured to Tavros, "to this gentle, sweet young man?"

All fourteen teenagers glanced around at one another, silently asking whether any one had any inkling of an idea as to who the murderer was.

Then…there was a proverbial click that resonated through the deathly silence as each one of them realized something. There were _fourteen_ of them. Where was the fifteenth? Now that Tavros was gone, there were only fifteen; there were now eleven trolls and four human. The math was not adding up, so-

"Vriska," Terezi snarled. "She isn't here."

All eyes fixated on Gamzee as he rose slowly from his position next to Tavros, his posture menacing and dangerous.

"She'll motherfucking pay."

Murderous intent flickered to life in his purple eyes. Everyone, excluding the slightly confused Jane Crocker, squared their shoulders and straightened their backs a bit. Nepeta and Feferi pulled it together, and the ones who had been crying dried their eyes with a decisive swipe at their face with the back of their hand.

There was more blood to be shed, and they had to prepare for it, even in their fresh grief. They would mourn later.

There was only one path to take, and it would not be easy.

_And I will try to fix you_

~O~

"This is a bit earlier than I expected, spy," said a bored voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but this is important! I-"

"Ah, ah, ah, where are your manners? That is not how you address your queen."

Vriska practically gagged as she listened to the Condesce's haughty tone. She sat back on her haunches beneath an overhang of rock near the cliffs. She had gone back to change into her customary T-shirt, coat, jeans, and red sneakers, and she had packed a bag with extra sets of clothes, water, and food. She was a wanted troll now; there was no choice but to run, so she made for the jagged cliffs on the coastline. It had been a long ways, but it was a necessity to get the hell out of there as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, There has been a…problem."

"Oh? Do tell, servant."

"Weeeeeeeell, I sorta…killed that filthy bronze blood. I think everyone is hunting me down now."

"Hmmm, this is not according to plan. I will be there within a week with my battleship. "

_Well, it is in accordance with _my _plans, _thought the Scorpio smugly.

"I'm _deeply _sorry, my queen, but he was in my way. I know it is short notice, but I just _had _to!"

"Lies."

"Well, he annoyed the hell out of me, so I think that is reason enough."

"You let your emotions rule you. Think before you act, wretch, before you bring down all of the plans we have devised. In fact, you have already brought ruination to most of my careful planning." the Condesce said, baring her serrated teeth in annoyance.

"Of course, of course. It won't happen again."

"I'll make sure it won't," the monarch spat. "Because of your reckless actions and your impudence, you will be punished with death once I arrive."

The Scorpio's shit-eating grin faltered at the blunt statement regarding her death sentence. "Surely, Majesty, you're kidding me? I-I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Do you really think I was not aware of your schemes to overthrow me, you impertinent child? Do you think I was ignorant of how you plan to usurp my throne? Do you think I do not know why you killed that lowblood?"

"My Queen, you misunder-"

"No, I know full well of what you are planning. I know you are hungry for power, for wealth, for _fame. _You are the scum of the highbloods," there was a pause in which the Condesce allowed a small smirk to steal across her fuchsia lips. "but, I have a proposition for you."

"Oh?" Vriska, after hearing that the Condesce was fully aware of her plans, was in all honesty petrified with fear of death. _Anything_ would be better than death.

"Yes, there is something you can do for me that will, let us say, repair the bridges you have burned with me."

"And what might this 'something' be?"

"I want you to take your own life."

* * *

I am sorry it is so short, depressing, and possibly filled with OOCness, but it had to be done. If you read into this plot enough, you will see what is to become of our dear protagonists. ;)

Inform me of any mistakes, please!


	23. In Medias Res

A/N: Do not kill me.

Midori, do you remember at camp, when y'all were leaving? I was crying! _Me. _Gah, I still miss you guys. This is payback for making me cry all fugly-like at camp. Forgive me. ;) Anyway, I dedicate this chapter to you and all you have done for me.

I...I made you cry, too, Iamai04 (Guest)? At 1:15 AM? You, my dear reader, flatter me. Also, I will update sooner! My piss-poor attempts at getting this chapter done on time are unacceptable. Damn me. Damn me to hell for doing this to you guys.

It is like Pandora _knows _when to play whatever songs you need to hear at the moment, Zexionienzo. Ha, 'executed'…nice choice of words. All will be well, dearie, you will see. Anyway, thank you for reviewing, even as words fail you (I have had the feels before, trust me). I just never thought that _I _would write something that people might cry over and/or actually read.

Scone (Guest), truer words have never been said/typed, but sadly, that could not be done. Oh, but she will get her comeuppance…eventually.

Ah, your praise, Belgistique, makes me feel horrible for neglecting you all. Thank you for getting my butt in gear to write! :)

I know, I know, RAndOmanimefreak123; I really fucked it up, did I not? There are no excuses for that OOC filth I wrote, but let me say this: I apologize, and I will learn from my mistakes. May I have a second chance, please?

You might get your wish, cascadonsqueen. It is only a matter of time and a matter of my mood. If I am feeling up to it, things may come to pass that will make fangirls and Vriska-haters VERY happy.

DumpsterCat69, you _are_ good! It appears that you caught on to my bad sense of humor. ;) I tweaked that little typo with 'the', but I left your name as I typed it, if you are alright with that. The portrayal is iffy, really. I have gotten a decent variance in opinions over the topic of my characterization. Thank you for praising it, although; if I ever do deviate from a character's nature, tell me.

Great. According to dangernumber2 – as well as several other reviewers – my readers are losing sleep. -_- Anyway, there shall be more! Thank you for reading to this point.

I know, Angel of Randomosity, I know. She is a bitch. In fact, she is the bitchiest bitch to ever bitch.

**NOTE**: Instead of posting my responses to your beautiful reviews in the upcoming chapters, I will personally reply via 'PM'.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing…

Gah, I am sorry. I am a jerk. Dammit.

* * *

_Veins_

Chapter Twenty-three

In Medias Res

_The present day _

At first, there was only a deafening chorus of screams that rang out from every corner of the campus. There were boys and girls running, flitting in and out of buildings and seeking asylum all the while shrieking in fear. Teachers endeavored to keep the student body calm, but it was futile, for they themselves were frightened of what was coming. Dirk, Jake, Jane, and Roxy, the true stoics of the faculty, kept close and methodically made their way through the crowded halls of the school building. The four old friends rounded up dozens of hysterical students and corralled them into empty classrooms. They hid to the best of their abilities. There was only so much space. There were only so many lives to be spared out of shear luck.

Then there were the fires that plagued the Academy. The dorms went up in the hellish inferno first. The central establishment fell last, after the dorms and the other edifices scattered about the school grounds had been burned to the ground. The skies turned a sinister crimson, and the clouds were painted in various shades of red and pink to match the many burns and blotchy scorch marks that the few survivors of the fires bore. The serenity of the cold November morning was shattered and stitched back together by the sharp, fiery barbs of Armageddon. However devastating it seemed now, the blazes were merely a harbinger of what was to come thereafter.

The ship gleamed in the bloody rays of the discolored sun. Its sleek, cherry-red body filled the sky and seemed to choke the very atmosphere with its horrible presence. With the large, looming vessel, there came a fleet of smaller ships that descended upon the now blackened earth. It was Lucifer and his Fallen Angels, Napoleon and his loyal army, Zeus and his Olympians. It was an omen of death.

It was war.

~O~

_Six days earlier_

What are we going to- can't let her go unpunished! Oh, I oughta give her a taste of the business end of my- this means war- for revenge, what else? She killed- she's fucking dead. I'm going to fucking- motherfucking pay- we need to calm the hell down and- think logically- we have to go after that bitch and avenge- dammit, listen to me! She- SHUT UP!

Silence.

Thirteen pairs of eyes fall on the speaker's own vivid jade gems.

The Virgo glances about the misshapen ring of trolls and humans, making certain she had each and every one of them focused on her.

"As we all know," Kanaya begins calmly, "Tavros…lost his life yesterday. There is substantial evidence against Vriska, who has now been missing since Tavros's unfortunate, tragic death. There is reason to believe that she has contacted Her Imperious Condescension," she says looking at Aradia, who has her head bent and is absently tracing the pattern in the tiling with her vacant eyes. As Kanaya shifts her gaze back to her friends and parts her jade-painted lips to speak, Aradia looks up, and she motions with her hand for all to be silent. All eyes lock on the ghostly figure's visage as she speaks.

"Before this discussion is taken any further, I must share something with all of you."

She blinks owlishly, and her gaze flicks to Sollux. He nods almost imperceptibly. She tilts her head in acknowledgement.

"It is time you are all made aware of what is coming. Vriska has in fact made contact with the Condesce and has been reporting our various activities to her. She is particularly fascinated, if not obsessed, with Karkat." Aradia looks down at the floor once more. "She knows."

Karkat looks off to the side as everyone immediately looks to him, ruing his decision to forgo telling the group what Vriska told him. Now Aradia is informing them of his mistake of existing. Damn, it is almost embarrassing.

Gasps and murmurs bubble up at this revelation. If the Condesce knows, then she will surely come in person to deal with the anomaly that is Karkat. It is, as they say, 'how she rolls'.

"Then…what do we do?" Equius queries. He seems troubled by the situation, but he remains detached from the group's overall feelings of rage and fear. After all, if he is to be punished by such royal blood, he probably deserves it, right?

Right?

Aradia glances about, making eye contact with everyone, before answering.

"We run."

~O~

_The day before_

"B-but I don't wanna, you crazy alien bitch! Let me go!" bawls a pale, willowy boy as he slowly makes his way toward the Scorpio against his will.

"Oh, but you see, dear boy, I need you for something," Vriska all but whispers as she stares down the unfortunate teen wolfishly. "You need to kiss me after I off myself, capiche?"

"No way! Just get out of my head- Ahhh, stop it, please! Okay, okay…please just STOP," he begs, as Vriska drudges up his worst childhood memories and twists his mind like a pretzel.

"If you scamper off after I die, I will haunt your ass for eternity and then some, you punkass squirt. It's just a little peck on the lips, so shut yer trap!" Vriska says, placing the tip of her dagger over her heart.

"O-okay, w-whatever you say!" the boy stammers, his eyes wide in panic. He would do anything to get that horrible parasite out of his mind.

"Well, let's get this over with," she says, sighing dramatically and lying down on the ground. She raises the weapon, keeps it in line with her heart, and she plunges it into her chest. A flowering blot of cerulean stains the Scorpio's shirt, and her eye closes, never to be opened again.

"Ew, gross!" exclaims the young man as he hesitantly leans down to bestow a kiss upon the troll's dead lips. He cringes as he nears her mouth, but he remembers her persuasive threats, and he follows through, albeit grudgingly. Then, he runs like hell like the wuss he is.

~O~

_The day before_

"It's a Goddamn shame that I didn't gank the bitch," Karkat growls, glaring down at the Scorpio's bloodied corpse with disdain. He kicks Vriska's head none too gently. No one complains.

"If I didn't already know that Vriska offed herself, I would give whatever lucky bastard did it a fucking medal," Dave says. Terezi, who stands next to him, casts her gaze downward, not speaking. Solemnity was not a trait archetypical of the Libra.

Sollux and Aradia glance at each other when Kanaya pipes up. "I agree whole-heartedly, Dave, but the question remains: _why _did she kill herself?"

The shared glance between the Gemini and the Aries does not escape the watchful eye of Rose. She catalogues their body language carefully; she combs their forms with her unusual pink eyes for evidence that they know something they are not telling the group.

~O~

_Three days earlier _

Sollux sighs and runs a hand through his hair in frustration. He _has _to tell the others before they suffer from their unfortunate ignorance of the situation at hand. He paces in silent anger at his own helplessness. He has to keep his friends alive, but he has no idea how. He does not know _how _with out blurting out what is really waiting for them all_._

"You know we can't – not yet."

The Gemini turns to gaze at the apparition floating beside him.

"I know, I know, AA. It'th jutht- I can fucking _help _them."

"And you will. _We _will," Aradia says with a slight stress in her speech. It is still an empty, hollow voice, but there is a touch of purpose in the single word she chooses to bestow meaning upon. _We._

"Well, when the hell are we going to thay thomething? They're going to die if they don't know what they're up againtht! Yeah, they know about the Condethce; tho what if they do? There ith more shit out there that they need to know to thurvive thith. Honethtly, I don't think we'll make it out alive." He fingers the pendant around his neck absently, waiting. If only they fucking knew.

"Sollux…"

"I-I fucking know. Please, don't thay it again."

~O~

_The night before_

_Gold. Everywhere, there was gold. It was pure and perfect in the glorious light of the large blue paradise the sphere of gold orbits. It was a Green World for all the young trolls and humans who had awoken on the radiant planet. They played, explored, and laughed, as though they were dreaming. As though they were _dreaming... _It was a haven far from the cold talons of stress and cruelty._ _The people of the golden world celebrated them. It was beautiful. It was bright. It was peaceful._

_It was an illusion that was most clever._

_Others – the children of the obsidian planet – awoke in a dark world of purples and blacks sheathed in a thick haze of melancholic auras and macabre visions. They walked among the listless inhabitants in a solemn, silent march. Even the usual glint of glee that smoldered within the heroes' souls dimmed under the darkness of the planet. It was lamentable; the heroes were feared and hated, not loved. There was no warmth and laughter. There were only the whispers of loathing wafting along the streets in taut strands of malevolence. The Black Queen did not revel in their awakening. She was envious of their power. _

_They were not welcome in the nightmarish world. _

_All sixteen heroes dreamt of a distant reality that they assumed was a mere dreamscape. All were awake, even the ones thought to be dead. One entity slumbered on, his body dormant until his twin of the darkness was destroyed. Another was stashed away in hiding until the moment of rebirth and revenge. The factions of light and dark, good and evil, were balanced, even then in that time of ignorance and schemes on the part of the veiled hero. The planet of paradise looming like an all-seeing deity oversaw the two kingdoms of the night and day. It had been calm._

_A small, infinitesimal tendril of wickedness had wormed its way into the hearts of the ebony denizens of the dark planet, though. Chaos spread like wildfire. She had succeeded in sowing her seeds of corruption. Another world to conquer, another culture to burn._

"_The heroes will perish."_

"_Long live Her Imperious Condescension!"_

"_Let the golden ones rot; let them burn in hell."_

_The heroes of the dark world fled to the very center of the planet. Eight slabs of slate-grey rock hovered in the hollow core, each bearing a crest. Each dreamself found their respective slab and, with great caution, settled on the cold stone. For now, they were safe. Safe in the cold core of a corrupt, ugly planet of sin. Uneasy sleep passed over their weary eyes, and they fell into barren void. Like a sepulcher, it held the heroes' lifeless bodies in a silent, death-like stasis. And so, they waited._

_The heroes of the golden realm were guided to the hollow center of their planet. The White Queen, in her kindness, led the heroes to their slabs of stone personally. They rested there – their safe haven cocooned in warmth and love. Each individual hero located the slab that bore their mark, and they slept once more, content and at peace as they waited for a miracle._

_They all dreamt of the same nightmare._

~O~

_The present day_

Today is the day humanity would fall.

"Get to the Goddamn building! It—"

Dave's voice is abruptly cut off as ribbons of red pour forth from an unseen origin. The crimson veins pierce the brick shell of the structure, and then wind around its exterior. Like vines of blood, they coil and snake around it and through it, until finally it is too much. The last hope of shelter crumbles and dissipates into ruble and clouds of red dust.

The fourteen teens skid to a grinding halt and stare in horror at the new foe. The single thought running through each fear-driven mind is simple and elegant, in its own way. _We are deeply entrenched in this bitch, are we not?_

"Well, we're fucked," Karkat states, his voice dry and humorless.

"Yep."

Jade, with her rifle raised and her finger on the safety pipes up from the rear of the group. "Where to now? We need to get to shelter, or those robot thingies and that red stringy stuff will kill us."

"We're working on it," Dave responds as he turns to Kanaya and Sollux for assistance in the matter. "So what the hell are we gonna do now that that red stringy shit is after us?"

"I suggest getting to one of the Condesce's ships and at least attempting to flee; they will not be guarded against assailants at this point in this total invasion. It is possible that we can steal one of the air crafts and fly it," Kanaya says. The Virgo glances toward one of the aforementioned ships in the distance, her gaze hopeful.

"Well, where would we go even if we manage to take one and learn to fly it?" queries John.

"To the stars," comes Aradia's sudden reply. "We must run to the stars, away from this doomed planet."

"But it's not doomed yet! There is still—"

"She ith right, John. There ith no hope left here! Don't you thee this shithole? The Condethce will dethroy Earth with a flick of her writht, and she will fucking thmile while she letth us burn."

Any protests about to be vocalized catch in their throats. Sollux and Aradia are right.

There is no hope.

"Fine," Terezi murmurs evenly, "we run. We run, and we don't turn back."

The group, with rekindled determination and renewed purpose, begins to make its way toward that little red ship just past the tree line…

Then the most heart-wrenching scream rips from the throat of one Feferi Peixes.

"Oh my God, oh my God, of my God," Eridan babbles as he grips the dead royal in his arms. He repeats this line, like a broken mantra. He holds his trembling hand over the yawning hole in her torso, letting her fuchsia blood taint his clothes. The rest of the group turns their eyes upon the grotesque scene, and despair, like the cold stone it is, drops into their stomachs and burns with icy fervor. After the initial mind-numbing shock, panic races throughout the party's ranks.

"Fuck, no, not again. No, no, no! Goddammit!" Karkat cries, pounding his fist into the nearest solid object, that being a tree. His knuckles pulse with pain and they begin to ooze with thick red droplets, but he forgets to care in his anguish. John, who had been standing in pure shock, now stumbles over to Karkat and places his hand heavily on the Cancer's shoulder.

"We have to move," the blue-eyed boy says thickly, his voice cracking as he drags the troll towards the crowd of humans and trolls.

As the two rejoin the clusterfuck of confusion, they spot the 'red stringy shit' from before. It snakes its way silently towards the group like a true hunter stalking his prey. John and Karkat yell in unison as the red spear impales Gamzee, forks into a fresh lance, and skewers Equius as well. The trolls and humans scatter like quail and begin sprinting to the nearest ship. Tears plop to the bloodied ground as they run. Eridan stumbles and falls, his last words being inaudible and tear-stained. No one looks back. With each death, they grow number and number to the loss, and so they turn to their innate survival instincts for comfort. Mourning will come later, if there is in fact a 'later'.

Next are Nepeta and Rose. Nepeta, in her final moment screams for them to run, to run to safety, and then she mutters to her lost moirail that she will join him soon. As Nepeta's last breath is exhaled, a vermilion vine shoots past Jade, Dave, and Kanaya, only to find Rose. Kanaya allows a strangled cry to fly past her lips as she watches her matesprit fall to the ground. Kanaya slows to a stop, and she stoops beside Rose. The others shout back as the flit by her like a herd of frightened deer.

"Go on! Run!" she screeches in reply. As the group moves on, she strokes Rose's hair reverently. She holds the human in her arms, her heart aching and her mind screaming. As her jade eyes close for the last time, the red menace chooses to strike.

"Rose! Kanaya!" John screams. He is hoarse from all of this gory, horrible death surrounding him, yet he still cries out for them in vain.

Dave pushes at his back, urging him on. The ship is four hundred yards away and getting closer with each grief-laden step. Jade collapses and is quickly followed in death by Dave. As Jade is impaled through the abdomen, Dave is taken by multiple strands of red. He smirks as he dies. Jade, who is almost dead beside him, reaches out her hand for him to take. Dave takes it, draws it over his heart, and he chuckles wetly, blood spilling from his lips.

"At least w-we die together, huh?" he whispers, closing his eyes behind his shades and sighing.

"Y-yeah, I guess we do," Jade replies as death veils her eyes in milky peace.

Terezi sprints on, aware that most of her friends are dead, dying, or about to die. Dave, she knows is gone, but she does not register the magnitude of it. In actuality, she did not think of him romantically ever since the dance. He is, or was, an 'annoying sibling' as Mr. Cool put it. Even if the Libra did not know what the fuck a sibling was, she knew it was friendly, not romantic. They will die as friends. She likes it that way, anyhow.

With this thought, Terezi dies. It is quick, painless, and unseen by her remaining friends.

The ship is two hundred yards away now. There are only four left.

John and Karkat run side-by-side, panting and tripping over their own feet. Karkat jams his hand in that of the derp's and grips it tightly.

"Don't fucking leave me, okay!"

There is a pause in which John almost tumbles to the ground, but he recovers himself.

"I won't!" John yells back, certainty lacing his words. In such a short time, the cranky Cancer had invaded his life and staked his claim. John finds that he did not mind it one damn bit. If Karkat wanted him there when he died, he was going to be there, and hell if he did not die with him.

They both go down at approximately the same time. Karkat clutches John's hand like it is the meaning to life, and John does the same, grasping at Karkat with his whole being. With eyes like the sun, Karkat gazes at John's pale face with unequivocal affection. As blood pools around them and nothing but red fills their vision, they slowly pass from consciousness, and they wander into death's embrace, hand in hand.

They never had a chance.

"Tho, we're the only oneth left, eh?"

"Yes, it seems so."

Sollux flops down on the bloodstained earth and looks up at Aradia expectantly.

"When are you gonna thtart making out with all your dead friendth, then?"

"Soon," the Aries replies calmly. A strand of cerise creeps within the ghost's vision. She waits for it to find Sollux's heart and plunge into it just like it did with the others.

Sollux nods in the direction of the deadly red ribbon. "I gueth thith ith good-bye for now," he says with the lightest wisp of a smirk. "Thee you later, Aradia."

The Gemini, with his last good-bye, is stabbed through the heart, much in the same manner as many of his friends were. It is almost relieving to know that he would join them soon. Of course, they would all be freaking the fuck out, but it will be nice to see those dumbasses.

And with his death came Aradia's first task. The Aries floats closer to Sollux, her ghostly body flickering in the tepid winds. She places her lips on his gently, and then moves away. There are still twelve more to go before the day is done, and then there is her own life to take, if that is at all possible. In the end, she knows her ghost-self will die, but the method is yet unknown to her.

She plants a soft kiss on each of her friends' lips, and she then waits for her own death to come.

* * *

May I reiterate my apology for leaving you all hanging?

I am a douche. :(

I wrote this at three in the fucking morning, so there will be mistakes. Please tell me the mistake, and I will fix it like Bob the Goddamn Builder.


	24. Mann Gegen Gott

A/N: Well, I think a 'Boy, that escalated quickly' GIF should be tacked onto the end of the last chapter. I hope you guys are still there!

Disclaimer: I do not own the beautiful hot mess known as Homestuck. Only Hussie does…only…Hussie…

Thank you all for the support; I need it. I dedicate this chapter to everyone from Mori no Ike! I miss you guys SO much! :(

By the way, I apologize for the super short chapter.

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_Veins_

Chapter Twenty-four:

Mann Gegen Gott

She ghosts across the scorched earth, leaving a trail in her wake of burnt-out cinders and ash among the raging flames. The charred paths are swallowed by greedy, gluttonous fire as soon as she passes. The sky had bludgeoned itself into a massive red and black wound.

Screaming crescendos and then ebbs into a low tide of sobs and hopeless prayers. She hears it all, but she does not stop, in physical motion or in thought. Everything is ablaze. Even the air itself is singed and crisped by the flames' angry heat. The bodies strewn about the ground are either still burning or have already been burnt into a small pile of ash. The burnt corpses dredge up old yellowed memories about her fascination with ancient ruins and dead things. That was what she used to love? Wait, what _is _love? She has long forgotten. Emotions are a far-away thing now, but a tiny, niggling _something _remains tucked away in her soul. The dormant feeling slowly melts its thick endospore and allows its contents to spill everywhere in her mind. Doubt.

Would this have been different if she had told them? Would this constant whispering from the lost souls abate, at least for a minute, for a second? Would the doubt die in the sea of nothingness inside her cavernous being?

No.

The Aries knows that. All too well, in fact.

The invasion would be the same, as would the resulting death toll. Her friends would die, just as they have in this timeline. Earth would be razed from pole to pole, and the empress of the trolls would triumph over the little blue planet's flimsy resistance. All the same in every aspect at every turn in every situation in any and all possible timelines.

Nothing _would _change, _could _change, or even _should _change.

They are in a much better place now. She will soon join them, too.

Maybe this is the thought that makes Aradia whole again.

~O~

Tavros is the first awake on his stone bed. He sees the other dreamers of light asleep on their own slabs, each still as a statue and cold as ice. This is a strange place to him; the golden arches soar over his head, peaking high above, and gold plates are paneled on the rounded walls. The room appears spherical, and so rounded walls are suddenly possible. Also, the laws of gravity have shifted, which is completely acceptable at this point. The stone beds hover in the center of an immense, spherical chamber. Considering the room is globular, there really is no floor, and in effect, no up or down. The only things grounding the beds to anything solid is a narrow, winding staircase that leads to his bed. A walkway twines past the other stone slabs as well.

"I feel, uh…different," the Taurus muses aloud. He clutches a fistful of his shirt, checking for something. What is that something?

Oh.

"I-I died?" The long-horned troll suddenly jolts at the realization, his rusted eyes widening and watering. He scrambles onto his feet and wobbles a bit, almost falling into the glittering abyss. He looks about at his companions and takes in their sleeping forms. One of the nine beds of the golden heroes is empty.

Vriska. The Thief is missing. Although, there is a smear of cerulean blood where she had clearly lain.

As Tavros notices her absence, he stumbles and collapses onto the rock bed. A tendril of russet liquid seeps through the troll's clothing, tainting the delicate stich work and the golden silk. Suddenly there is blood- blood everywhere; it soaks his shirt, his pants, his everything. Blurry edges frame the Taurus' vision as he fades.

"Again? Uh, A-again with the d-dying?"

Just before he drifts into the afterlife after this afterlife, a gleaming white sword pierces his already shredded torso, killing him once again. The blade, glazed by thick brown blood, slides out of Tavros' corpse and onto the bloody stone. The carapacian bows in silence, and she sheathes her sword.

Without a word, the White Queen walks to the next bed, and she waits.

~O~

The Pisces, Aquarius, and Sagittarius all begin to stir at approximately the same moment. Feferi coughs and blinks her fuchsia eyes open to take in the macabre metallic world around her. She looks down and sees her elaborate purple dress and then back up at her companions. She opens her mouth to speak, but before she can utter a single syllable, a wicked black dagger rips through her chest, killing her where she sat on her Quest Bed. Equius and Eridan, caught mid yell of warning are stabbed through the back, severing their spinal cords.

~O~

"I…I am flesh," she whispers, looking at her warm, soft hands. Her maroon eyes widen, and her face contorts in confusion and pain. Emotion. She has _emotion _again. Tearing her vivid eyes from her hands, she looks about her. Her friends lay there, dead. A rainbow of blood drips into the abyss below like a colorful, sluggish waterfall.

There is a gash in her abdomen. It looks to be a stab wound. So that is what has anchored her soul in her dreamself's body. Aradia muses, while in a world of pain, about how her soul came to possess this body, but her gaze falls on a looming shadow. Someone is behind her. It is most likely the person who stabbed her the first time.

The flash of a blade ends Aradia's brief moment of being flesh and bone again.

~O~

The agent's job is simple; kill the heroes and leave in time for lunch. Simple.

Simple.

All eight are dead.

Simple…

That is, until the Quest Beds began to glow.

~O~

Karkat and John are the last to wake up on the golden planet.

"K-Karkat?" John croaks. A brilliant bloom of red appears on multiple areas of his body. He is dying, bleeding out.

"John? You…what the hell?" the troll all but yells. He reaches a trembling hand out to John in an attempt to touch him, to make sure he is truly there after-

Right, they died.

So then…what are they doing there?

Karkat has no time to contemplate this, for a broad blade has found its way to his back. He feels nothing. Karkat's other half struggles to move toward his matesprit-boyfriend-whatever, but the same blade swiftly puts an end to that.

They are the last of them.

~O~

Sollux's current body is taken from the Quest Bed before his demise on the dark planet. The agent received specific orders stating that the Mage is to be killed away from the core. The agent does not question his superiors. He follows through.

~O~

Just as the Gemini is killed on the obsidian world, he wakes up on the world of light. Of course, he is instantly killed by yet another fucking sword. Dammit.

~O~

The citizens of Prospit rejoice as violently bright light fills the cracks between the golden bricks in the streets. The very core seems to heave with a new energy brought on by the ascending heroes.

Let the heroes bring peace upon the land.

Let them fulfill their destiny.

~O~

The people of Derse flee the darkening streets into the many cathedral-like edifices of the planet. They quiver in fear, anger, and hate as they feel the ground tremble with the power within the world's center. The heroes are ascending, just as they were warned of.

Let the heroes burn and raze the land, and then let them die.

Let them fulfill their destiny.

~O~

Jane is the last to be taken by the Drones. Jake, Dirk, and Roxy are being carried away by Drones identical to the one currently trapping her in its metallic claws. She kicks and screams, but her violent fury is in vain. Jane eventually quiets down is broken resignation when she is taken aboard the Battleship Condescension. Everything is red, red, red as far as she can see, and it is a hateful red. Hateful and deadly.

"Mann gegen Gott," she whispers in a hopeless voice. The murmured phrase is one she had come across before in literature. Literally, it means "Man against God" in German. In this case, it seems to apply, considering the fact Her Imperious Condescension is almost at the level of a god in the respect that her powers and overwhelming strength can trump just about anything in the universe.

Humanity, it appears, is destined to be wiped from the face of existence.

Mann gegen Gott, indeed.

~O~

The Page of Breath is the first to rise from the depths of Prospit and greet the awaiting Prospitians. With a stuttered hello and an embarrassed "uh", the hero is welcomed with loud roars and cheers from the swarm of carapacians. The Taurus' large, russet wings flutter behind him nervously and he pulls at the hem of his blue hero garments. The crowd rushes to make way for him. Looking about him, the Page begins his journey to the White Queen's castle where he will await his ascending friends to come forth from Death's uncertain grasp.


End file.
